Elemental
by MildlyMoonstruck
Summary: When word reaches Fairy Tail that Lamia Scale has been attacked, Juvia and Gray are sent to aid their allies. However, what they discover when they arrive is that Lamia Scale was not the only target that the enemy had in mind.
1. Chapter 1

**Shit, you guys, am I doing this?! I think I'm doing this! Wow, this is really nerve-wracking, but here goes nothing. Note: this begins about a month after the Grand Magic Games and completely disregards the current arc because I am trying to make things easier for me. -nervous laughter-**

* * *

"Master Makarov!"

The diminutive man sitting atop the guild's bar turns and sees Mirajane headed his way, a large stack of what were undoubtedly more requests piled up in her arms. Ever since the end of the Grand Magic Games and Fairy Tail's subsequent return to the position of 'strongest guild in Fiore', numerous jobs requests had come pouring in from every end of the country. No one had an opportunity to complain about a lack of funds for anything now, but truth be told, he worried at times that eventually the excess of work would become too much for the guild to handle. For now, though, he would simply be content that his brats had endless opportunities to strengthen their skills, and Fairy Tail's good reputation was being upheld. "Who is it this time?" he asks, gesturing to the papers.

Mirajane glances down nervously and plucks an envelope off the top of the pile, wordlessly handing it to the Master. "It's a magic letter for you, Master. It was marked as 'urgent'," she tells him as he flips it over and looks at the seal.

"Lamia Scale?" he murmurs, tracing a circle over the little circle of gold wax. At a nearby table, Gray's ears perk at the mention of the other guild, and he looks over as a small hologram rises from the envelope in Makarov's hand and takes the shape of Lyon Vastia.

"To the Master of Fairy Tail," Lyon's hologram says. "Lamia Scale has an urgent request to make of you. Please, send the mage Juvia Lockser to visit our guild immediately. We were attacked late last night by an unknown mage who, as far as we could tell, isn't affiliated with any guild. We are in no position to make a journey anywhere, but it is necessary that we meet with Juvia as soon as possible. Our Communication Lacrima was destroyed in the attack, so magic letters are our only option for contacting each other. Please, we are willing to pay any amount that Fairy Tail asks for. We don't know if the trip will be dangerous, but we recommend sending another mage with Juvia so she doesn't have to defend herself alone if a problem arises. Send word as soon as you can," the hologram finishes, just before disappearing with a little puff of smoke.

The guild hall is silent. Makarov looks up and his gaze lands on Gray, the boy's face pale and hands balled into fists. He beckons him over and scans the rest of the hall, calling, "Juvia? Where are you?"

At a table with Gajeel and Levy on the other end of the room, Juvia stands and replies, "Juvia is right here."

Makarov nods and hops down from the bar. "Both of you, follow me," he commands, turning and leading them up the stairs to the empty second floor of the guild. He walks them to the windows overlooking Magnolia and waits until he can hear the normal chatter of the guild resume below. He turns to look at the pair and says, "How soon can the two of you be ready to head to Lamia Scale?"

Gray bares his teeth in a determined grimace, something fierce glinting in his dark eyes as he answers, "Today. An hour or two at most."

Beside him, Juvia nods solemnly in agreement and asks, "Have they really been attacked? We haven't heard anything today."

Makarov frowns and stares down at the letter. "If they're in no position to send anyone out to travel, I assume it must have been very serious. And with their Communication Lacrima destroyed, I would much rather send you two right away than wait for a letter to get there asking for details. I trust you two with this. Prepare accordingly and head to Hargeon Town to take the boat to Nelumbo Town immediately. When you get there and learn more about what's happened, send word as soon as you can. I'll keep my ears open here. If they restore their Communication Lacrima, contact the guild. Understood?"

They both nod and Juvia immediately leaves to pack, but Gray doesn't move. He scrutinizes the Master, his arms crossed over his chest, and asks, "Why Juvia?"

'_Gray may be as hot-headed as Natsu at times, but he certainly knows how to use his brain,' _Makarov thinks. Out loud, he says, "So you thought it was strange, too. I can't imagine what anyone would want to attack Lamia Scale for—as far as I know, they've never made true enemies of anybody, much less anyone who would dare to try and harm them, and succeed. But if they've specifically asked that Juvia go to see them, whoever attacked them must have plans that involve her.

"Aside from the fact that it's Lamia Scale asking for help, I am also sending you with her because your magic is compatible with hers and, I believe, enough to withstand any… problems that you might come across while you're both travelling to Nelumbo." There is a perceptible shift in Makarov's demeanor, and instead of the normally eccentric jokester, Gray suddenly finds himself looking, undoubtedly, at the Master of Fairy Tail, his eyes hard and expression grave. His voice is ruthless when he continues, "Lamia Scale has been an invaluable ally to Fairy Tail, especially during the seven years that we were missing. This is inexcusable, and whoever attacked them will pay. Declaring war on a friend is declaring war on us, especially if whoever attacked them is planning something involving Juvia. Just get to their guild as soon as you can, and keep a sharp eye out on the way. Oh! And give them a talking-to about even _thinking _that we would ask for pay; that's the stupidest thing I've heard!"

With a smirk and a nod, Gray turns away from the Master and leaves to prepare, his mind furiously working at the mystery that's been presented to him. _'What the hell kind of lone mage attacks a legal guild like Lamia Scale and gets away with it?' _he thinks, eyes narrowing in anger. _'And what on earth does it have to do with Juvia?'_

* * *

Hours later, Juvia and Gray are on the last train fast-tracking to the port town of Hargeon. For once, Juvia doesn't feel like talking, trying to work out in her head what could possibly have happened at Lamia Scale, and why they would specifically ask to see her. Worry churns in her gut, cold and sour, and she frowns sadly as she stares at the landscape racing by out of the window. _'Juvia hopes that everyone is going to be alright,' _she thinks, idly fiddling with the high fur collar of her dress. Slowly, she sneaks a glance out of the corner of her eye at the object of her affections sitting across from her.

Gray has one leg propped up on the seat, elbow resting on his knee and chin cradled in the palm of his hand. His face is also tilted towards the window, and he is clearly deep in thought. She almost opens her mouth to ask him a question, but the worry that she will say the wrong thing wins over her concern, and she remains silent.

The minutes pass, awkward and agonizing, until he finally addresses her. "Juvia."

She jumps in her seat and then reddens in embarrassment. "Yes, Gray-sama?"

He frowns for a moment, eyes briefly darting to her before returning to stare out the window. "I don't mean this in a bad way, so don't get the wrong idea," he begins cautiously. He sees her nod out of his peripherals and continues, "Do you know anyone who'd want to hurt Lamia Scale? Anyone from—"

"Juvia doesn't," she answers, trying to ignore the painful little squeeze around her heart at his words. "When Juvia was in Phantom Lord, there was never any talk of any other guild but Fairy Tail."

Gray doesn't like the suddenly dull tone of her voice, and he turns his head to see that she is hiding her eyes from him, her face bowed as she picks at the little buttons lining her deep blue dress. Her fingers are shaking. "Juvia," he says, shifting in his seat to fully face her. She doesn't look up. "Juvia, I wasn't accusing you, or anything like that. I mean, I know that it was years ago. It's just that this entire thing…" he trails off, brows furrowing in frustration. He sighs and smacks his hand down onto the seat in exasperation. "This thing just doesn't sit right with me."

Juvia finally looks up at him, taking in the hard set of his jaw and the confusion in his eyes and says apologetically, "Juvia knows that you didn't mean to hurt her feelings. Juvia is sorry. It's just that Juvia doesn't like to think of Phantom Lord very much. But Juvia agrees with you, Gray-sama. Something is very wrong. But once we reach Lamia Scale, and we know more, we can find whoever hurt our friends and make them pay."

The sudden ferocity in her tone makes him smile. As annoying as she can be sometimes, Gray has always admired Juvia's ability to be serious when the situation calls for it. When the two of them lapse back into silence, it is a comfortable, companionable one. Instead of watching the scenery, he observes her. _'Master sent me with her to protect her. Even Lyon's message said I might need to protect her, if something happens. Will it?' _he wonders, slumping down in his seat.

Outside, the sun is setting, and it will be a while longer before the train reaches Hargeon Station and they can head to the port just in time to catch the last boat to the seaside city of Nelumbo, where Lamia Scale's guild is located. Gray feels a surge of impatience rise up in him like a wave, and he drums his fingers against his leg, willing time to rush by like the trees outside. He is itching for the adventure he knows is coming—it happens every time he goes on a job that will have some element of danger to it. It's a common trait for a Fairy Tail member to have: you are always looking for a fight.

Gray has to suppress a wicked smile at the thought of finding the mage who attacked Lamia Scale and dealing back the damage tenfold.

* * *

It is midnight when he and Juvia step off of the boat at Nelumbo Port. "Juvia has never been here before," she remarks, shouldering her pack and glancing around. The presence of the sea is strong in this coastal town, and it's almost a shame that her first glimpse of it is in the dead of the night.

"Neither have I, actually," Gray says, fishing a map out of his pocket and opening it up. "Feels kind of weird, considering Lyon's always showing up at Fairy Tail. Now it shouldn't be too hard to find the guild; the map says it's supposed to be near the center of town, and we should just take the main road."

Juvia nods and looks up, heading towards the large, pale stone path that cuts through the town. She stops short when she sees a figure in the distance, walking towards the port. "Gray-sama," she says, tugging on his sleeve. "Is that…?"

Gray squints at the person ahead, and then a wide grin splits his face as he lifts up a hand to wave. "Hey, Lyon!" he calls, breaking into a run with Juvia following closely behind.

Lyon looks exhausted, but smiles in relief when they approach him. "Hey, you two," he greets, clapping a hand on Gray's back and giving Juvia a friendly hug. As they begin the walk to Lyon's guild, he says, "I can't tell you how relieved I am to see you here. I thought for sure it'd be a couple of days until we heard from you."

Gray scoffs and says, "Don't be stupid. As soon as the old man got the letter from you, we left as soon as we could."

Juvia smiles at Lyon and adds, "We're happy to help your guild, Lyon-sama. Lamia Scale has done so much for Fairy Tail over the years. Tell us, how is everyone else doing? Were a lot of people hurt?"

Lyon shakes his head. "Not as bad as it could have been. This guy wasn't there for all of us, just for Jura, so—"

"Eh? Who is this person, and why would he want to hurt Jura-san?"

"I know his name is Ash," Lyon tells them, "and he's kind of tall—a bit more than me—with red hair. I didn't get a good look at his face at the time, because we'd all been immobilized and he had his back turned to me. He had a partner—a woman—who'd said his name. I never caught hers. But he was clearly the one in charge."

"What did they do?" Gray asks, frowning deeply.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure," Lyon admits, glancing up at the starry sky. He thinks back, recalling the details of what happened. "I think his partner was the one who made sure none of us could move. We were in the guild hall when everyone suddenly dropped like a rock. This may sound weird, but it—it was like the air had gotten heavier. It was crushing us, just enough so that none of us could get up off the floor. Except Jura, of course, because he's _built _like a rock. And then Ash and the girl walked in and told him that if he came quietly, nobody else in the guild would get hurt.

"They moved then, and I couldn't see very well from where I was, but it sounded like Jura tried to attack them. The air pressure got worse—honestly, it felt like I was going to be ripped apart. And then it eased up a bit, just enough so that I could breathe again. I heard the guy explaining to Jura that his partner could increase the air pressure to the point where Jura wouldn't be able to move either, but if he did that, then we would all die. It takes a lot more to bring Jura down than it does the rest of us," he remarks, a wry smile twisting his lips. Then he continues.

"Everything gets kind of hazy after that. I heard fighting, but I think that they were just ganging up on Jura, because he was the only one I heard in pain. It got hard to breathe after that, and then I passed out. When we all woke up, they were gone, and so was Jura. We've sent people to search, but there's no trace of them anywhere. No clues where they went, either. Ah, here we are," he finishes, a forced brightness in his tone as they all approach the Lamia Scale Guild. "Home sweet home," he says weakly.

"Lyon-sama…" Juvia begins sorrowfully. "Juvia is so sorry this happened."

Gray says nothing, never good at expressing emotions, and even less so when they are directed towards someone so close, who has clearly been dealt such a harsh blow. He watches Lyon carefully, waiting for the older man to speak.

He clears his throat and manages a half-hearted smile at both of them as they step into the entryway of the guild. "It's alright," he says, his tone not at all convincing. He awkwardly runs a hand through his silvery hair and repeats, "It's alright. We're going to focus everything we have on finding them. And Jura's one of the Ten Wizard Saints; it doesn't matter who he's up against, he'll find a way to pull through. I know it."

They all remain silent as Lyon leads them through the mostly empty main hall. There are a few people here and there who look up as they pass, and the touch of hope that flickers in every pair of eyes that sees the mages from Fairy Tail is almost painful to acknowledge.

Lyon directs them to a large room with several beds lined up against the walls. "This is a resting room where any visitors to the guild typically stay," he explains, remaining in the doorway as Gray and Juvia step in and place their packs on their respective beds. There is a pause, and Lyon crosses his arms over his chest, suddenly seeming uncomfortable. Gray's eyes narrow.

"There's something else, isn't there?" he asks, noticing Lyon's nearly imperceptible flinch. "Lyon, why did you specifically ask for Juvia?"

Lyon avoids their eyes, staring instead at the stone floor beneath him. He frowns and struggles for a bit, but then admits, "Yeah. There was something… right before I passed out. I heard Ash say something to his partner. He sounded kind of far-away, and I was pretty out of it, but I'm almost positive that what I heard him say is right."

"What is it?"

His frown deepens, and his gaze is distressed when it lands on Juvia. "I heard him say, 'After this, we find the Phantom Girl.'"

* * *

**Okay, here we go. -nervous throat clearing- Alright, first up, since lots of towns in Fiore have to do with flowers n' stuff, and we don't actually know where Lamia Scale's guild is located, I decided to make it near the sea since a lamia is, obviously, a sea creature. And Nelumbo, according to Wikipedia, is a genus of aquatic plants that resemble the water lily, so I figured that would be a good thing to name the town so it keeps with the flower and water element. Also, the Fairy Tail wiki was consulted, like, every three seconds because I wanna get facts and details right and just UGH I am a research nerd, so. Yeah.**

**Also, the idea from this fic sprouted from an errant thought I had while listening to the Shingeki no Kyojin soundtrack, and I wrote this while STILL listening to the (entirely majestic, because sweet baby Jesus does that show have the most glorious music) track the entire time I wrote it, so, shit's gonna get real up in here. Also because I want an arc all about Juvia so, naturally, I thought, 'I'll just write it myself.' Fuck. This'll be serious business, people, haha. Please drop a review; I am always looking for ANY and ALL bits of constructive criticism that will help me improve my writing skills. Thank you so much for reading! I hope you'll stick around!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Whoa~ thank you guys so much for the positive reactions! You people are amazing! Also, I'm gonna let you know that I will only ever update one chapter when the next one is completed. It gives me a kind of motivation to keep writing because I'll be all, 'Grr I wanna upload this chapter BUT NO, not until the next one is written.' Plus, it's good to be one step ahead. Haha.**

* * *

There is a sharp inhale from Juvia, and Gray watches her as she pales and slowly sinks down onto her bed. Her eyes are wide, and she looks as though she is in pain. "… Phantom Girl?" she whispers weakly, feeling sick just repeating the words. Unbidden, hot tears prickle the backs of her eyes.

Lyon turns away and shuts the door, his palm resting against the dark wood. "So he _was_ talking about you," he murmurs.

"Like hell he was," Gray snaps. "Juvia hasn't been a member of Phantom Lord for years; they disbanded ages ago!"

"Gray-sama, Lyon-sama is correct," Juvia protests, dropping her head in her hands. No matter how hard she tries to prevent it, the tears spill over and drop down to wet her palms. Outside, the soft pattering of rain against the walls of the guild begins. "Who else would it be? What other woman was infamous from _that _guild?" she spits.

Gray lets out a frustrated exhale and angrily shoves his hands into his pockets. "But you're _not _like that anymore," he retorts. "So what would this guy want with you?"

Lyon turns away from the door and presses his back against it, his eyes sharp. "I think I have an idea," he says. "Juvia… Tell me about the Element 4."

She looks up then, deep blue eyes wide and teary. "The Element 4? Why do you—"

"Because," Lyon interrupts. "This attack wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing. Whoever this Ash guy is, he had a plan that involved taking Jura, and it involves you, too. And if he called you 'Phantom Girl', he's clearly been watching you for years, before you ever joined Fairy Tail. I know it's late, and you two should rest, but I need this information. It's been about eight years since _I_ heard anything about Phantom Lord or its Element 4 elite team, but for you, it feels like it hasn't even been one. It's clearer in your mind than it is in mine. Please, tell me."

"Lyon," Gray barks out, his voice heated. "You're upsetting her; _knock it off_."

Juvia stands and places a gentle hand on Gray's back, feeling the rigidity of his spine. _'Protective,' _Juvia realizes, a faint blush blooming over her cheeks. "Gray-sama," she whispers, and she feels him relax marginally as he turns his head to look down at her. She gives him a tiny, grateful smile. "It's alright. Juvia just… doesn't like thinking about Phantom Lord, remember? But this is important." She turns to Lyon then, ignoring the way her heart falls just a little bit when Gray moves away from her and her hand drops back down by her side. "What exactly do you need to know, Lyon-sama?"

He gives her an apologetic smile and replies, "Why was the Element 4 formed in the first place?"

Juvia sits back down on the bed and links her fingers together in her lap. She stares at them, trying to call back the memories that she'd let sink far, far down in the ocean of her mind. "Jose needed elemental mages: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire Magic users. The most skilled ones he could find. Juvia… Juvia was the last to be recruited. We were all S-Class, and at first, he sent us out to destroy enemy guilds, one by one. We needed to be stronger. And then... Jose would talk to us about what he _really_ wanted.

"He said that… a long time ago, natural magic at its most basic could fall under one of the four elemental pillars. The pillars of magic, of course, being earth, air, water, and fire. And if they were brought together, mastered, then complete control of natural magic could be achieved. And if those four elements were combined, the magic produced would be more powerful than any individual form of it. He always told us… 'We will make our guild great. Never forget. Your _duty_ is to make our guild great.'"

Something sick curls up in the pit of Gray's stomach, his sense of unease growing as he listens to Juvia speak. Her voice goes flatter and flatter until it is completely without any inflection. Her face is pale, and her eyes are blank. She looks haunted. A long, low rumble of thunder rolls through.

"He talked about Fairy Tail," she continues, seemingly unaware of the increasingly poor weather, or anything about her surroundings. She looks as though she's staring at something far beyond the room, something only she is seeing. "He told us what he'd really meant for us to do all along. He wanted the Element 4 to combine our power to perform a forbidden spell that could only be cast with total control of each branch of elemental magic. He made it sound like an honor, to be a part of something so extraordinary that no one could accomplish it on their own."

"Abyss Break," Gray breathed in realization. Juvia nodded once.

"Yes. A powerful spell that can only be cast if the user has enough knowledge of the four elemental magics. Or, in the Element 4's case, if the users give up all of their magic and fuse it together."

"Give up all of your magic?" Lyon asks sharply. "How were you supposed to do that?"

"Jose's ultimate weapon: the Super Mage Giant Phantom MK II. A humanoid machine capable of being acknowledged as a real mage, with the ability to draw the magic seal that the Abyss Break needed to use our magic. The Element 4 was meant to allow it to absorb every last bit of our magic, so that it could combine it and cast the spell."

Juvia's words echo hollowly in Gray's head, and slowly, he walks over and kneels down in front of her so their eyes meet. Juvia's stare is vacant, and he reaches out a hand and grips one of her wrists. "Juvia," he says, his voice hoarse with dread. "What would have happened to the Element 4 if we hadn't taken you out when we did?"

In a completely toneless voice, Juvia replies, "When the seal was complete, Jose's machine would have drained our bodies of every last bit of magical energy we had, and we would have died for the sake of the spell. That was Element 4's duty. We needed to make our guild... great."

There is a long, tense silence. Gray stares at the water mage, his grip tightening on her wrist to the point that he risks bruising her, but he refuses to slacken his hold until she does something, _says _something to negate the horrifying implications of the information she has just given them. But Juvia does nothing, not even blinks at him.

"Gray." Lyon's voice is rough with distress. When Gray doesn't even acknowledge him, he walks over and clamps his hand down over the younger man's shoulder and repeats, "_Gray._"

"_What_, Lyon?" Gray snarls, releasing Juvia and rising to smack Lyon's hand away in one swift move. He is more rattled than he would like to be, and he balls his hands into tight fists to stop them from shaking.

Lyon's brows draw together in a sympathetic frown, and he gestures toward the door and murmurs, "Come with me for a bit."

Gray's mouth twists in reluctance, and he quickly mutters, "Give me a second," before turning back to Juvia, placing his hands on her shoulders and giving her a quick shake. "Juvia."

She blinks once, and her eyes finally seem to clear, just a bit. She draws in a shaky breath but can't quite manage words, so she merely settles for a questioning look.

This is good enough for Gray, who tells her, "Lyon and I are going outside to talk. Stay here. Try to go to sleep. Got it?"

Juvia nods once, and Gray lets go of her and turns to leave the room with Lyon, closing the door gently behind him as they step out into the main hall of the guild. What few people were around before have left to turn in for the night themselves, and their footsteps echo off of the marble floor. The only other sound is that of the rain, muted but still present. Gray follows Lyon into the mess hall of Lamia Scale and watches him slump with a sigh onto one of the benches attached to the numerous long dining tables. Gray doesn't join him, but merely leans his hip against the end of the table and crosses his arms over his chest and waits.

There are a few moments of silence before Lyon exhales sharply and runs a hand through his hair, looking more haggard than ever. "Well, I guess this is both good and bad news," he says softly. "We know why they took Jura; he's probably the strongest earth mage in Fiore. I bet that Ash and his partner know Fire and Air Magic. And at least it's a relative certainty that they won't kill him or anything like that, not when they still need him."

"But if they get their hands on Juvia…" Gray starts, and the idea is so terrible that he almost doesn't continue. "If they get their hands on Juvia, it's game over. For all of them."

Lyon swings his legs over the bench and props his elbows up on the table, linking his fingers together and pressing them to his forehead. "Is the ability to cast Abyss Break really what they're after?" he wonders. "Is that it? Or is there another spell?"

Gray shrugs and shakes his head. "Who knows? We can't focus on that right now, though."

"You're right," Lyon says. "There's too much to figure out as it is. Lots of things to prioritize... We need to keep Juvia out of their hands."

"You gonna tell your guild master about what we know?"

"Can't," he groans, laying his head on top of his arms in weariness. "Ooba left this morning to go see the Council."

"Are you kidding me?" Gray scoffs, pushing himself away from the edge of the table and moving to sit across from Lyon. "What the hell is the Council gonna do?"

Lyon smiles ruefully and rolls his eyes. "Absolutely nothing. They can talk all they want about all the control they have over the legal guilds and everything, but with the limited information we have so far on a single mage and his partner? It wouldn't be enough for them to take any action even if they _did _give a damn. But Ooba thought we should exhaust every possible avenue we have to track down this guy, so she went to ask for help anyway."

"Well that was stupid. After all, she had to leave a moron like you in charge," Gray taunts.

Lyon smirks and aims a playful punch at Gray, missing him by a bit. "Watch it," he warns. "I've hired you to do what I say."

"Bullshit," Gray laughs. "For one thing, Juvia was the one you asked for, and for another, I'm not even getting paid; I'm suffering in your presence for free."

"Don't be a brat, Gray," Lyon chuckles affectionately. "Respect your elders and all that."

Gray snorts and props his chin up on one hand as the two of them lapse into an easy silence. It was strange, he thinks, to have Lyon remind him that he was, in fact, older than Gray. Seven years older. Gray generally never spared much of a thought over the fact that he had missed seven years of life in Fairy Tail; when they had all returned from Tenrou Island, of course there had been changes in everyone that he had been forced to acknowledge. They'd all grown, looked different, and lived their lives while he and the others had been gone. But with Fairy Tail, it had ended up being as though the seven years had never even passed. They were still the same people they had always been. Life returned to normalcy as quick as ever—no one had missed a beat.

It was when he left the comfort that Fairy Tail Guild's walls provided him that he had to face the reality that the world had indeed changed in what, to him, seemed to be the blink of an eye. Lyon, once the boy he'd been raised with, had become a man who had grown up without him. When he paid attention, he could see the differences; for one thing, Lyon had grown a bit taller, which was something that hadn't failed to annoy Gray. And, of course, his magic had grown with him. And then there were the subtle things that he had to actually pay attention to see: more defined angles in the planes of his face and a line here or there that hadn't been present before. When he chooses to see it, it is obvious that Lyon looks older.

"You look depressed," the man in question says suddenly.

Gray, electing to not divulge what he is really thinking, settles for the most pithy response. "You look old."

"I'm only twenty-six!"

"Old," Gray drawls. He grunts in surprise when Lyon lunges across the table and grabs him in a punishing headlock. "Wha—Let go of me!"

"I'm sorry, what was that? I've lost my hearing, you see. Must be the old age."

"Maybe it's that stupid earring you're wearing, you jackass," Gray fires back, hands scrambling for a good grip on Lyon to push him away.

"Hey! It makes me look sophisticated," Lyon growls, tightening his grip and angling his body away from Gray's hands, which have started to strike at him.

"It makes you look like a tool!"

Lyon laughs outright at this and finally releases Gray, who stumbles and falls back in his seat with an irritated huff. He grins for what feels like the first time in a long time and then sighs and says softly, "I'm glad you were the one your guild decided to send with Juvia. I mean, I figured that you'd be an obvious choice, but it's still a big relief that you're really here."

Gray blinks in surprise at the sudden emotional tone in Lyon's voice. He clears his throat and shrugs nonchalantly. "Hey, someone's gotta help you out here."

"And protect Juvia," the silver-haired mage adds.

Gray snorts and crosses his arms, saying, "I'm honestly surprised that you haven't offered to take up that part of the job yourself and just send me back to my guild."

Lyon's smile softens, and he gives Gray a knowing look when he responds, "You're the one she needs. And I already told you, I know that Juvia's heart has no room for me in it. Not as anything other than a friend."

Gray falls silent, unable to think of anything to say in response to his friend's less-than-subtle allusions to Juvia's feelings for him. He looks away, shifting uncomfortably in his seat and forcing himself to adopt an air of indifference, but he is not accomplishing it as well as he'd like. This is, he realizes, another obvious reminder of the age difference between him and Lyon; Gray couldn't be so blunt about such topics, not even if his life depended on it.

As much as Lyon is enjoying the sight of Gray's discomfort, he decides to have mercy on the poor kid and stands up, stretching with a groan. "I'm exhausted, and this day's been way too long. I'm heading to bed; you should too, Gray. I plan on waking you and Juvia up early, because I'm going to need you two to go into town in the morning and pick up the guild's new Communication Lacrima from the general shop, alright?"

Gray nods and then nearly squawks in protest when Lyon reaches over and softly ruffles his hair in a surprisingly warm gesture. Two bright spots of color appear high on Gray's cheeks as he protests, "Knock it off! I'm not your kid brother, stupid!"

Lyon rolls his eyes and smirks at him before walking away. "Don't be an idiot, Gray," he calls over his shoulder. "Of course you are. Now go to bed."

Gray sits there alone for a few moments, absolutely flustered, before shaking his head and getting up to leave. Now that he thinks of it, he really _is _exhausted. The restless excitement he'd felt thrumming through his veins earlier in the day is now gone, completely replaced by a bone-deep fatigue; all he wants to do is sink into a warm mattress and sleep. As he reaches the door to the resting room of Lamia Scale, he stops himself from just barging in and instead knocks softly on the door first and waits, not wanting to startle Juvia in case she is still awake.

When there is no response from inside, he turns the handle and carefully peeks into the room, his gaze softening as he spots a Juvia-sized lump under the covers of the bed next to his. As quietly as he can, he steps into the room and shuts the door behind him. He kicks off his boots and winds up stumbling over his own feet in the dark, inhaling sharply and steadying himself with a hand on the wall as his eyes dart over to Juvia. She mumbles and shifts in her sleep, but doesn't wake. Gray breathes a sigh of relief and strips off his shirt, padding over to his own bed and shoving it into his pack before moving it to the floor. With a soft groan of contentment, he collapses onto the sheets and rolls over on his side.

His eyes heavy with sleep, he looks at the bed across from him and watches Juvia's back rise and fall with steady breaths. Recalling her earlier state of agitation, he frowns a little bit and hopes that she sleeps through the night undisturbed; she'll need the rest.

_"You're the one she needs."_

Lyon's words suddenly ring clear in his head, but he is too tired to think about them. Unconsciously matching his breathing to Juvia's, he closes his eyes and falls asleep.

* * *

**Gray and Lyon are my BrOTP forever, you guys; when *that* thing happened to Gray in the manga and Lyon started _crying_, I was like, 'Shit. No. No, I can't handle this.' Ugh, all the feels. Also, the thing about Lyon wearing an earring is for real, because in chapter 256, when Lamia Scale shows up at Fairy Tail to greet the returning Tenrou Team, he's wearing an earring with like a chain or whatever and I swear to GOD, I could've licked my computer screen when I saw it. Hot damn.**

**ANYWAY. Ahem. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**If any of you go on tumblr, do you know that one comic of someone reading a fanfic and growing increasingly agitated until they run away from their computer screaming and/or crying? I'm pretty sure that at some point in this story, I'm going to wind up trying to do that to you guys. NOT THIS CHAPTER. But, you know. Eventually.**

* * *

Juvia wakes up to bright sunlight filtering in through the window on the opposite wall. Groggily she presses a hand to her forehead as she squints in confusion at an unfamiliar ceiling. _'Where…?'_ It takes her a moment to remember the night before—arriving at Lamia Scale, the talk, the _rain_—and she feels equal parts relief that the sky is clear and apprehension at just how _big _the job ahead of her is. How dangerous it is.

Her eyes snap wide open then, and she shoots up in bed and glances around, her eyes landing on the bed right next to hers. Gray is sprawled out on top of the sheets, deeply asleep and without, she notes with a heavy blush, a shirt on. She allows herself a moment to fantasize about walking over and waking him in a _very _pleasant way but then shakes those thoughts out of her head. _'Not the time for that,' _she admonishes herself, throwing back the covers just as there is a quick rap on the door.

"Juvia-san! Gray-san! Are you awake?" A cheery little voice calls from the other side of the door. Juvia smiles and hops out of bed to open it.

"Chelia-chan!"

"Good morning, Juvia-san!" Chelia chirps, bouncing in place. "Lyon sent me to come and get you. Is Gray-san awake yet?"

"Yeah," a sleepy voice calls, and Juvia turns to see Gray propping himself up on his elbows and blinking blearily at them. "I'm up."

Chelia blushes furiously at the sight of him half-naked, and she throws several glances at the two Fairy Tail mages. "Eh… are you two…? Ah, never mind!" she exclaims, flustered.

"Oi, don't go getting the wrong idea," Gray mumbles in annoyance, hauling himself out of bed and beginning to rifle through his pack for some clean clothes.

"S-Sorry!" Chelia laughs nervously, but there is a touch of disbelief in her voice. "Anyway, um, Lyon was supposed to come get you, but my cousin's search team just came back, so he had to meet with them and sent me here instead. You two have to go to Nanami's General Store, over by the pier soon! They said our new Communication Lacrima would be ready by this morning, and Lyon said that you probably need to contact your guild as soon as possible, right?"

Juvia nods once and replies, "Yes, I think the Master needs to know the full details of what happened here, and what we know so far about the people that attacked you."

Chelia grins and exclaims, "Great! Um, I heard the both of you got here very late last night, so you probably want to wash up before doing anything else, right?" At the emphatic nods from both of them, Chelia laughs and steps back from the door, saying, "Alright; the baths are up on the second floor. I'll probably see you guys later when you get back with the Lacrima; bye-bye!"

Juvia smiles as she watches the young girl scamper off, and then she turns only to realize that Gray is staring at her. She blushes, suddenly very aware of that fact that she is in nothing but a thin, powder-blue nightgown. "G-Gray-sama?"

He frowns at her. "How are you feeling?"

Juvia averts her eyes from him, fingers nervously twisting in the hem of her dress. "Juvia is… better, maybe. Juvia had just always hoped that, after Phantom Lord disbanded, that Juvia would never have to hear or think about them again. But now…" She sighs in frustration and shakes her head. "Now Juvia has no choice. This thing… ugh! Why is it still affecting Juvia's life?! After all this time! It's not fair! Juvia _hates_ Jose for what he did; at the time, Juvia just wanted to be accepted, and he took advantage of that! The fact that Phantom Lord was the first to ever be _proud _ of what Juvia is... The ameonna," she spits, feeling her blood start to boil. A storm starts to edge in over her senses.

Gray suddenly realizes exactly how much he doesn't know about this woman, who he's been happy to accept as his nakama. Considering the ease with which Juvia integrated herself into Fairy Tail, it really occurs to him for the first time that all he knows is the happy-go-lucky girl with the wild—and often inappropriate—imagination that likes to follow him everywhere he goes. He has hardly ever known her as anything else, and he's certainly never tried to find out anything about her life before Fairy Tail. This is why her sudden dark mood is both unexpected and, in his own opinion, unwelcome.

"Don't call yourself that," he retorts heatedly. "You're not an ameonna, you're not a 'Phantom Girl', you're not _anything _other than a Fairy Tail mage, and that's never going to change, got it?"

Juvia blinks, startled, and then her eyes fill with tears. Gray nearly cringes, because the thought of being anywhere near a crying woman is, admittedly, more than a little bit terrifying, but then he is relieved when she looks at him and smiles big and bright. "Thank you, Gray-sama," Juvia whispers, her voice wobbly with emotion. "Juvia promises she will do better to remember that. Juvia is a Fairy Tail mage. And whoever this Ash is... we'll find him, and he'll pay," she snarls.

Gray grins at her and nods. "That's more like it," he remarks. "Alright. Let's get washed up quick and then get going. I'll meet you at the gate."

"… Well… Would Gray-sama like to—"

"I'm _not _getting in the bath with you."

* * *

Half an hour later, the pair of them are making their way to Nanami's General store, with Gray leading and Juvia trailing behind him. He turns and is about to scold her for the third time for failing to keep up, but rethinks it when he sees the sunny smile on her face as she takes in the sight of the town. "You're acting like a tourist," he jokes, amused when she jumps in surprise.

"Oh! Juvia is sorry, Gray-sama! Juvia knows it's silly, but it feels like it's been a long time since Juvia has been by the sea. Juvia has missed it very much," she confesses, gazing longingly at the pier.

"Yeah? Take a walk then. I'll go get the Lacrima and then find you."

"Eh?!" Her eyes are wide and painfully hopeful. "Does Gray-sama really mean it?"

Gray snorts and starts off towards the shop, a colorful little building with a bright blue sign that proclaims, 'Nanami's General Store' in large bubble letters. "It's fine, Juvia. Just don't go wandering off where I can't find you; we'll have to get the Communication Lacrima back right away."

"Thank you, Gray-sama!" she exclaims, tackling him in a quick hug before bounding away too fast for him to say anything.

The sight and smell of the sea is refreshing to Juvia in a way that nothing else is, considering the strength of her affiliation to water. She suppresses an almost childish squeal of joy upon seeing the way the sunlight reflects off of the deep blue water, sparkling. _'So beautiful,'_ she thinks. Her eyes slide shut, and she feels the deep pulse of her magic within her as she walks further down the pier; it swirls and crests, and Juvia feels a sudden longing to transform into water and dive into the sea, to reach out and merge with the waves. She always feels her best when she is in water. A cool breeze kicks up and carries the mist of the sea with it; Juvia relishes the refreshing little droplets that hit her skin.

She is so engrossed in her thoughts that she shouts in surprise when an unexpected weight knocks into her side and sends her tumbling over. Her back smacks hard into the pier and she feels the air rush out of her lungs as she hears something else heavy thud to the ground.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry, miss; I—I was enjoying the breeze, and I wasn't paying attention to anything else, and… oh, here, let me help you up!" exclaims a sweet voice, and Juvia blinks up at a young woman with shoulder-length, pale hair and clear grey eyes. The woman takes her hand and hauls her to her feet. "Are you alright?" she asks.

Juvia smiles at the kindness of this stranger and replies, "Yes, Juvia is fine; it's not your fault. Juvia was distracted by the ocean, too, and Juvia should know better than to walk around with her eyes closed."

The woman laughs a little, an expression of mild surprise on her face at this blue-haired stranger's use of third person. But her voice is sincere when she says, "Juvia? That's a lovely name. I'm Ilma."

"It's nice to meet you, Ilma," Juvia responds, accepting the other woman's proffered hand and shaking it. She glances down at her feet and notices a bag full of books that must have fallen when they'd collided. "Is this yours?" she asks, scooping it up and holding it out to her.

Ilma's eyes widen gratefully as she takes it and says, "Oh, thank you!" She looks down to check that everything is still in the bag and nods in satisfaction when she sees that nothing is missing. Then her gaze shifts a little bit and her mouth drops open in surprise. "Oh! Is that a guild stamp on your leg?"

Juvia looks down at the symbol on her thigh peeking through the slit in her dress and nods. "Ah, yes, Juvia is in town visiting from Fairy Tail."

"Fairy Tail! Isn't that the guild that won that tournament in Crocus a while ago? You beat out our own guild, didn't you?"

Juvia smiles shyly and answers, "Yes, that was us. Juvia and her partner are just here for a little while to see Lamia Scale."

The woman stares at her in awe. "Wow, that's amazing! I'm not a magic user, but I know the guild here does a lot of really great things, and they all seem really strong. Are you…" Ilma hesitates and glances around before lowering her voice and saying, "Are you here to find out whoever attacked them?"

Juvia's expression becomes serious as she nods. "Yes. Have you heard anything about it?"

Ilma shakes her head and says, "Unfortunately, no. I don't live that close to their building, so I didn't even know it had happened until yesterday afternoon, when a bunch of their members went around town asking if anyone had seen anything." She frowns and says sadly, "It's a scary thing, to think that someone could go after them for no good reason."

Juvia murmurs in agreement and adds, "If you, or anyone you know, does hear something about it, please come to Lamia Scale and let someone know. We want to find out who would dare to hurt our friends."

Ilma perks up at this, her voice containing a tone of admiration when she says, "Friendship is a powerful thing. When people work together, extraordinary things can be accomplished. I'm sure you'll find whoever did it, and if I hear anything at all, I'll head straight to the guild. It was wonderful meeting you, Juvia."

Juvia beams and chirps, "It was wonderful to meet you as well, Ilma." She turns to watch the kind woman walk away and smiles even bigger when she sees Gray coming up the pier, a giant, wrapped package held under one arm.

"Making friends with the locals?" he asks when Juvia runs up to meet him.

"We just bumped into each other, literally," she says, flushing in embarrassment when Gray gives her a knowing look. "Juvia will watch where she is going next time, but Ilma was very kind about it. She told Juvia that if she heard anything about who attacked Lamia Scale, she would come to the guild and let everyone know."

Gray nods in satisfaction and says, "Great. Now come on, let's hurry and get back to the guild; this thing's heavier than I thought it would be."

* * *

"This is good," Lyon tells them once they have set the Communication Lacrima in place on a small pedestal in the front hall of the guild. "Now you can contact Fairy Tail and tell your Master what we know."

Gray nods and touches a hand to the smooth surface of the crystal. He feels a burst of magic surge from his guild stamp, spreading over to his shoulder and shooting down his arm and into the Lacrima. It glows brightly for a few moments before the light fades and reveals the surprised face of Mirajane peering at them.

"Oh, Gray!" she exclaims. "Wait a minute—let me get the Master!"

Gray nods and watches her face disappear, glancing up at Lyon with a questioning expression. Lyon gives a minute shake of his head and flicks his fingers toward the Lacrima, indicating that Gray should be the one who talks to Makarov. Gray nods and then cuts his eyes at Juvia, who hasn't said a word for a while now.

Juvia is leaning against the wall, arms crossed under her chest and staring morosely at the floor. Her brows are furrowed, and he can see that she is deep in thought about something. Then, as if feeling his gaze on her, she looks up and meets his eyes steadily. There is a cold steeliness in her look, but he gets the sense that there is something deeper in her mind that is roiling like a stormy ocean. He is about to open his mouth and ask her what's wrong, when Makarov's voice comes from the Lacrima.

"Gray! Is everything alright at Lamia Scale? Where is Ooba?"

Gray turns back to the crystal and nods. "Everything's fine, for the most part. Ooba's gone to the Magic Council. Fat lot of good _that'll _do," he sneers, and Lyon snorts.

Makarov sighs. "That crazy old bat. The Magic Council won't get off their asses for much, and unless you've got some good information, it's not going to help one bit."

"Yeah, Lyon figured as much. And we do have some information, but not nearly enough."

"Well, tell me what you know; it's more than what I've heard from around here, which is to say, absolutely nothing at all."

"The people who attacked were a red-haired mage named Ash, and his female partner. No one caught her name, or got a good look at her. They immobilized everyone in Lamia Scale with some kind of Air Magic, except Jura. And then they fought him and took him."

Makarov's face pales. "…They what? How could they take Jura?"

"He wasn't fighting back," Lyon speaks up, coming to stand next to Gray. "They threatened to kill everyone else if he didn't cooperate with them, and then they ganged up on him and knocked us out with more air magic. But before I passed out, I heard something that gives us a bit of a clue as to what their goal is. I heard Ash say, 'After this, we find the Phantom Girl.'"

There is silence for a moment, and the pair of them can see Makarov's eyes bulge and skin flush in anger. "They have the nerve to make one of my _Fairies _a target?" he snarls.

Lyon nods seriously. "You see why I needed to speak to Juvia as soon as I could. I needed to warn her, and to ask her about what Ash could possibly want. It's clear from the fact that he referred to her from her days in Phantom Lord that he's known about her for a long time. And with the use of Air Magic against us, Jura being the strongest earth mage around, and with a name like Ash… I have a hunch that whatever he wants has something to do with creating a new Element 4. And Juvia is the final person he needs."

"Juvia," Makarov calls. "Are you there?"

The girl in question pushes away from the wall and moves to stand in front of the two ice mages that watch her with uneasy expressions. Her gaze is cold and voice flat once again when she responds, "Juvia is here, Master."

"Do you agree with Lyon's hunch?"

Juvia nods. "Yes. Last night, Juvia explained to Lyon-sama and Gray-sama what the purpose of the Element 4 was. You already knew, though, didn't you?"

Makarov frowns and shifts in the crystal, a hand coming up and pointing at her. "You're damn right I did, and if this Ash is after you for the same purpose, you need to stay safe, do you hear me? Gray! You'd better do your job and protect her! The same goes for you, Lyon!" Makarov barks, and both of the men pale considerably at the terrifying tone of voice and nod.

Juvia allows herself a brief smile and says, "Thank you, Master. But, while the Element 4's sole purpose was to be able to cast Abyss Break, Juvia isn't sure if that is what Ash wants to do. If there is one forbidden spell that requires knowledge of the four elemental Magics, then there may be more. Can you please ask Levy-chan to do some research, both on the Abyss Break and any other possible spells that fit the criteria?"

Makarov nods and says, "There are some books in our library that even she hasn't gotten to yet, and they'll probably have some information. I'll let her know. What else can we do to help?"

"Juvia needs to speak to Gajeel-kun," she says, and her tone is so fierce that everyone blinks in surprise at her. Makarov excuses himself, and after a few moments of silence, both his and Gajeel's faces appear in the Lacrima.

"Juvia. What do you want?" the Iron Dragon Slayer questions, eyeing her in askance.

Juvia takes one step closer to the Lacrima and quietly says, "Totomaru."

Gajeel blinks. "Huh? Totomaru? What do you want with him?"

"Master will explain things to you once Juvia is finished, but for now, listen. Gajeel-kun must find Totomaru. Ask him if he knows where Phantom Lord's records on the Element 4 disappeared to. And then ask him if he knows where Sol and Aria are, and then find them and ask them about the records as well."

"…What if the records were destroyed when the guild was?" Gajeel questions, but there is something intense glinting in his eyes.

"They weren't," Juvia replies, her tone cutting. "Juvia knows they weren't. Gajeel-kun, if they know nothing about where the records of the Element 4 are, then ask them all where Jose is. You _must _ask them to tell you anything they know."

Gajeel grins, slow and vicious, and responds, "Yeah? What am I supposed to do with that information, then?"

Juvia takes one more step forward and grasps the Lacrima tightly in her hands. There is an absolutely venomous sneer on her face as she leans toward the crystal and snarls, "Find Jose Porla, and bring him to _me_."

* * *

**OOH. Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Gird your loins, people, cause it's going down. This chapter (particularly the second half of it) was brought to you by copious amounts of Florence and the Machine's 'The Drumming Song' and 'attack ON titan' from the Shingeki no Kyojin OST, in case you want a little music to fit the mood.**

* * *

Gajeel's grin only widens, and he gives her a nod, his voice full of a tone that can only be respect when he answers, "You got it."

Juvia says nothing as she releases the crystal and steps away from it, nearly backing up into Gray before he reaches out his hand and steadies her. Her shoulders stiffen for the slightest moment before relaxing; Juvia looks down at the ground and tries to focus on how warm Gray's hand is on her back, instead of how furious she is at everything else, including herself for ever being enough of a fool to get involved with Phantom Lord.

Lyon nudges Gray with his arm and tilts his head towards the door. Gray takes the hint and reaches to grab Juvia's arm and lead her outside while Lyon finishes the conversation. Juvia follows without protest, and they both walk through the heavy doors and out into the courtyard. They stop in front of the giant statue of a lamia, and Juvia takes a seat at its base while Gray remains standing, slowly pacing back and forth.

He links his fingers together behind his head and stares up at the sky. Earlier, the sun had been shining brightly, but now there are dark clouds looming overhead, blotting out the light. He wonders if he should ask the question on his mind, and decides that he might as well. "Juvia."

"Yes, Gray-sama?"

"Will you tell me why you joined Phantom Lord?"

Juvia's expression becomes pained, and sighs at the conflict in her heart; she doesn't want to talk about her ex-guild. She doesn't want to talk about any of her life before the rain went away, and she finally understood what it feels like to be happy.

But she would never deny any request from the man who gave her that first taste of what being happy meant. Even though it was something as simple as being able to see the blue sky. But this story that he wants to know is anything but simple.

So she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and begins, "When I was little, all I knew was that my name was Juvia Lockser, and that it always rained around me."

Gray feels something in his chest squeeze painfully when she begins to speak in first person, but he doesn't know why. He wants to comment, but something in her voice tells him not to interrupt.

"I have never met my parents. They might be dead. Or maybe they just didn't want an ameonna for a daughter. I will never know, and I will never choose between the two options because both of them hurt. I grew up in an orphanage, and for the first few years, I didn't know that I was even a water mage. But one day, I was playing out in the rain, alone. I climbed a tree. And then I fell. And I don't remember what I was thinking, but it might have just been something along the lines of, 'I don't want this to hurt.' When I hit the ground, I thought I would hear bones break or… something. I didn't expect to hear a splash. But I did, and I felt… scattered, and… I thought I was sitting up, but I was really rising, like a wave, and when I looked down, I was part of the puddle that the rain was making. When I put my hands—water hands—on the ground to push myself up, I _felt _magic, and I felt myself change and become solid again.

"I didn't know what happened. But some of the other kids had been watching me through the window, and they told… There were adults there who knew about magic, and understood that I must have been a mage. They gave me a book or two. But from then on, everything was different. I could tell, now, that the rain was me, and so could everyone else. I had no friends. Everyone started calling me an ameonna… They never wanted to play with me. From then on, I was alone with a few books on magic spells and… and all the little teru teru bozus that I could make…"

She doesn't react when the rain begins to pour down, soaking everything in seconds. It mixes with and hides the tears pouring down her face. Gray walks closer and kneels down in front of her, trying to get her to look him in the eye. She stares right through him and keeps talking.

"They never stopped teasing me," she sobs. "They hated me for making it rain. _I _hated me. And occasionally, there would be someone… someone I thought could be different. Someone who said they didn't care that it rained all the time. But in the end, they always left. In the end, I was always too gloomy. That's all I ever was. Just gloomy and alone.

"And when I was sixteen, it changed. Jose found me. He told me there was a place I could go… A place where people would not just accept me, but admire me for my rain. My abilities. He told me that I was… special. My magic was unique. He gave me titles, like 'Juvia of the Great Sea' or 'Juvia of the Deep'. It was the first time anyone had called me anything other than a rain woman. I was so… _desperate _for a place to belong. For friends. I would have done anything he asked, and so I joined, thinking I could be happy.

"But it didn't work. Even in Phantom Lord, I had no friends. There was no such thing as a 'friend' in that guild. The only person I could ever be around was Gajeel-kun, and back then, it was only because he understood my rank as an Element 4 member. And of course, I tried so hard to show him that I respected him, thinking that he would be my friend. He didn't want to be, but he acknowledged me, though, and back then that was enough. We could look out for each other. That was it.

"And when Jose told us our true purpose… our duty to 'make our guild great'… I accepted it. I thought, 'If the best I can do is die because the person who gave me a place to go told me to, I might as well.' I was okay with that. Having nothing good in life, not even a single person to really care about my well-being, to tell me that there ever was something I _could_ be besides a sacrifice for the sake of power, a greater accomplishment than anything I had ever done… I didn't think there was any another option."

She laughs, a broken, wet sound that turns into a weak little cry. "And the third-person speech… I can talk like a normal person," she insists, placing her hands over her eyes and smiling bitterly. "But if I say, 'Juvia is' instead of 'I am', it's almost like pretending that I'm talking about someone else. Someone else is alone. Someone else always makes it rain. It's just… a habit I didn't want to break, even after my life got better. Even after I met you… and you made the rain… go away…"

She is sobbing too heavily to continue, but she blinks and then looks at him, _really _looks at him, and the absolute misery in her red, watery eyes is unbearable to see. He knows that look; he's _had_ that look. He never, not for one second, thought that Juvia would ever know it, too.

Juvia's sobs briefly choke off in a gasp of surprise when Gray reaches up and pulls her to him, pressing her head against his shoulder. She thinks he says something to her, but it's drowned out by the rain and her cries. She wails and throws her arms around him, wishing that she could sink into him as easily as she sinks into water; he is far warmer. She tries to say something—'Thank you', 'Gray-sama', '_I love you_'—but the only sound that passes her lips is pained weeping.

Gray is still and silent as stone, kneeling with her and keeping her face pressed against him so he doesn't have to see her cry. He grits his teeth and tries to calm himself, but anger is thrumming through his blood, hot and quick—_'Jose Porla, you piece of _shit,' his mind snarls.

He exhales hard and waits for the storm to pass.

* * *

He shuts the heavy stone door behind him, smirking in satisfaction as he bars it. _'Everything is falling into place. Soon—'_

"Ash?"

He turns and grins. "Oh, good. You're here. Our little friend," he begins sarcastically, jerking a thumb towards the sealed door behind him, "is giving us a bit of a hard time. Do subdue him." His citrine eyes flash once and then narrow suspiciously. "What is it?" he asks.

"The girl."

His hands ball into fists. "What about her?"

"She's in Nelumbo Town."

"… She's what? How do you know?"

"I saw her. She was on the pier with someone, completely unguarded. What a fool. I could have snatched her up right then, but—"

"No, no!" Ash cries, furtively running his fingers through his wild crimson hair. "This is perfect!" His eyes are wild, and his smile turns sinister. "Absolutely perfect."

_'Falling into place, indeed.'_

* * *

Lyon tactfully waits until the rain stops before stepping out into the courtyard and calling to Gray and Juvia. His only acknowledgment at how they both jump away from each other and redden in surprise is a small quirk of his lips. He manages to keep the amusement out of his voice when he tells them, "Your Guild Master wishes that the two of you will try to stay out of trouble, but seeing as you're from Fairy Tail, that's not likely to happen. Also, Juvia, Levy is searching for any information she can find about Abyss Break, and other spells like it, and Gajeel is on his way to meet with Totomaru, and track down the rest of the Element 4 if need be. He'll keep in contact and let us know if he finds anything."

Juvia nods and clears her throat, smiling shakily and saying, "Good. Juvia is glad; if anyone can do this, it is Gajeel-kun. And if we're lucky, Totomaru will know where Jose is, so we won't have to look for the rest of them. It's important that Jose is found, as soon as possible. Since no one knows when… when Ash will come after Juvia."

"He's not getting his hands on you," Gray says, his gaze cold and hard. "Not a chance in hell."

Lyon suppresses a smile at the fierce protectiveness he hears in Gray's voice. "You'll be safe here, Juvia. We may not be Fairy Tail, but our guild will still defend you like we would one of our own. I have to ask, though—why is it so important that you meet with Jose?"

Juvia sighs and responds, "Juvia doesn't want to ever see him again. But Juvia thinks that there are things that Jose must have kept hidden from the Element 4. He wanted us for the Abyss Break, but if he knew that was a spell that needed to use elemental magic, then Juvia thinks he must have known of others. He had to have known. And Juvia would bet anything that, if he hasn't hidden the information on the Element 4 somewhere, then he must have it with him. Maybe it can give us a lead on what Ash wants Jura and Juvia for."

Lyon smiles approvingly and places an arm across her back, ignoring the way Gray's eyes narrow at him as he begins to steer Juvia back into the guild. "You've thought of everything, Juvia. I know I asked you to come here so I could warn you about Ash, but you're honestly doing more to help us find him than any of our teams have."

"What about Sherry's search team?" Gray asks, following close behind. "Didn't they get back a few hours ago?"

Lyon nods and says, "Yeah, and they turned up empty-handed. They were following a possible trail into the forest a few miles away from town, but it was a pointless search; I thought it would end up that way. Nothing's there but some abandoned ruins from an ancient guild, long before Lamia Scale was founded."

"Ruins?" Juvia questions. "… Lyon-sama, are you sure—"

"It was the very first place we looked," Lyon says as the trio crosses the entryway and heads for the mess hall. The sound of muted conversation and the clatter of silverware reaches their ears. "No one was there, nothing was disturbed." He sighs and pushes open the large wooden doors, allowing Juvia and Gray to precede him into the room. "Until we find out more, all we can do now is wait."

* * *

"Lamia Scale is a very nice guild," Juvia remarks later that night as they eat dinner with everyone. She and Gray had spent the rest of the day meeting with the members that weren't currently out searching for leads on Jura's whereabouts, and Lamia Scale was proud to welcome the Fairy Tail members that were there to help them wholeheartedly.

Next to her, Gray scoffs around his bite of food and mumbles, "Maybe, but it's too stuffy for my taste."

Juvia smiles at him and says, "Juvia supposes that there's just no place quite like Fairy Tail."

"Thank God," Lyon remarks across from them, chin propped up on his hand. Chelia, seated on his right, muffles a giggle.

Juvia smiles good-naturedly and Gray scowls and opens his mouth make a sharp retort, but before he can, a terrified shriek from outside pierces through the lively mood, and everybody freezes.

"What the hell?" Gray mutters as Lyon shoots up from his seat.

"What was that?!" he shouts, bolting for the doors. Juvia and Gray follow him, and soon the entire guild is leaving their seats and trailing out into the entryway. Suddenly, an unnaturally powerful gust of wind slams the front doors wide open, and everyone stops short, gaping in horror.

The statue of the lamia is, somehow, in blazes, and curled around the top, shrieking in terror, is a young woman with shoulder-length, pale hair.

"Ilma?!" Juvia shouts, horrified.

The woman freezes and turns her head towards the water mage and cries, "Juvia! I heard—I was coming here to—oh, God, please _help _me!"

Juvia flings her arm out and commands, "Hold your breath!"

"Wha—"

"_Water Lock!_" she shouts, a great sphere of water engulfing the statue and completely dousing the flames. She vanishes it with a sharp jerk of her hand and runs to the statue, reaching her arms out to help Ilma down.

"Juvia!" Ilma sobs. "Oh, thank you! I was coming here because I heard something about the person who attacked the guild, and then… someone hauled me right up and put me here. And the next thing I knew, there was fire everywhere! Oh God, I was so scared," she cries, shaking and still clinging to the statue.

"It's alright, Ilma," Juvia says soothingly. "Let me help you down. What did you hear?"

Behind the water mage, Lyon takes a step forward and frowns. It's dark now without the light of the fire, but there's something about this unfamiliar woman—

_"What did you hear?"_

—that he can't quite place. And then there's a half-remembered echo in his mind, and—

_"Ash, this is the man we were looking for. Jura Neekis."_

—his eyes widen. _'Oh, shit.'_

Ilma reaches out her hand. "I heard he was coming for you."

There is a painful pop in Juvia's ears, and she cries out as the air around her body suddenly crushes her, slamming her flat to the ground. Behind her, she hears the pained shouts of Gray and Lamia Scale as they are forced down with her. Juvia snarls and reaches out for her magic, feeling it ripple across her like a caress before she liquefies and surges forward, the air unable to hold her down. "You!"

Ilma smiles mockingly and propels herself out of Juvia's reach with a burst of Air Magic, and another voice speaks from behind the giant statue. "No, my dear." A cloaked man with blazing-red hair and a sadistic grin steps into view. "_Me_," he hisses with a condescending little tilt of his head. "Now, before you do anything _rash… _think of your friends. Ilma?"

Ilma alights on top of the lamia and curls her fingers at the immobile group of people, summoning the air from their lungs. She chuckles when they begin to gasp and twitch, unable to draw a breath.

"Stop it!" Juvia shrieks, surging back towards them. "Stop! What do you want?!"

"Oh, I thought that answer would be obvious, Juvia of the Great Sea," Ash replies pleasantly, motioning for Ilma to stop manipulating the air. She obeys, and with a flick of her fingers, everyone else chokes and then sucks in great, heaving breaths. "The real question is, are you willing to come quietly, so nobody gets hurt?"

Juvia snarls at him, feeling herself begin to boil as rage rushes through her. "How does Juvia know you won't hurt them anyway?"

Ash taps a finger to his lips and stares at her thoughtfully, eyes flashing in the dark. "Hm. True. You aren't as stupid as you look. Perhaps it's just the crowd you hang around with. Those little fairies," he taunts.

Juvia growls and sees the steam beginning to curl from her water body. Her eyes are wild and vicious as she glares at the wicked mage. "Don't you _dare _talk about my guild that way," she hisses. "Why did you take Jura-san? What do you want with elemental magic?! What the _hell_ are you trying to do?!"

Ash tuts and wags his finger at her reprimandingly. "Now, now. I don't have the time nor the patience to allow you to speak to me that way, even if you are Juvia of the Great Sea. But, just this once, I'll let it slide. I'm not here to answer questions. I'm here to warn you, my dear, that if you _really _care about these people as much as you seem to, you will do the right thing, and you will come find me. We can work together—"

"Juvia would _never_ work with you," Gray snarls, his cheek pressing painfully into the stone ground. He grunts in exertion but can't push himself up no matter how hard he tries.

Ash narrows his eyes and raises a hand against the young man, but Juvia splashes over and throws her arms out protectively.

"If you hurt him," she begins, her voice a menacing whisper, "Juvia will _slaughter _you. Juvia is a water mage, and you are not. This is Juvia's warning to _you_."

Ash's eyes widen before a slow smile twists his lips. "Ah," he murmurs, "Juvia of the Great Sea, indeed. Well then, keep in mind that if you kill me, you'll never find Jura. And he will die." Juvia's eyes narrow at him, but he continues, "Now, if you're so adamant about protecting your friends… that's fine. I can work around that. Do you know, my magic is as special as yours? You can become water. And I, my dear, have the power to light nearly anything on fire. Statues, metal..." His grin turns predatory. "...People."

He twists and aims his arm away from the guild, and a giant fireball sizzles to life in his hand and shoots out into the town.

Juvia watches in horror as the blaze ignites in the distance, and civilians begin to scream. Ash turns again and fires another one, and then another, acrid smoke beginning to rise in the sky. "The longer you resist me, dear, the more people will get hurt!" he cackles wildly. "Can you live with that? Ilma! We're done here! Juvia of the Great Sea will come to us in time… if she wants her friends to live."

Ilma swoops off of the statue and grasps Ash's arm, propelling them away on the wind before Juvia can say another word. The water mage sobs and solidifies once more, crashing to her knees as she hears Lamia Scale's members rising behind her and calling out orders.

"He's heading north, we have to follow him!"

"The civilians need to be saved!"

"We need to put out the blazes!"

"Juvia!" Gray shouts, stumbling to her side and grabbing her by the shoulders. "Juvia, you have help put out the fires!"

"There's too many of them, Gray!" Lyon calls, rushing to them. "She can't get to all of them at once, and I don't want to pick and choose whose lives to save!"

"Lyon," Sherry shouts, "Ash is getting away; what do we do?!"

Lyon growls in frustration and looks around wildly. Outside the walls of the guild, people are screaming and the fires are roaring, thick, black smoke and embers mixing in the air. "Shit," he swears. "Sherry and Chelia, follow Ash! Track him for as long as you can, but don't put yourself in danger! The rest of you, get the civilians away from the fires!" he shouts, and Lamia Scale scatters. He looks down at Juvia and Gray then, and says, "Ice doesn't exactly hold up all that well against flames. Juvia?"

Juvia chokes back a terrified sob and tries to get her mind to work. _'What can Juvia do? This is all Juvia's fault, Juvia has to put out the fires… but how?!' _She feels Gray's grip tighten, and she looks up at him pleadingly, but it's clear that he is at a loss for words, too. _'What should Juvia do?!'_

_"Oh, I thought that answer would be obvious, Juvia of the Great Sea."_

Ash's mocking words echo in her mind, taunting her, and she presses her fists to her temples and feels a desperate scream beginning to edge its way out of her throat when she suddenly stiffens with a gasp of realization. "Juvia of the Great Sea," she whispers.

"What?" Gray shouts, confused.

Juvia grabs his arms and shoots to her feet. "Gray-sama, the sea!" she yells, and then she bolts from the courtyard and down the main road.

"Juvia, _wait!_"

"Gray, go after her!" Lyon calls, hauling him up to his feet. "I'll help my guild! Go!"

Gray takes off running, practically flying down the path after Juvia. She is racing ahead, ignoring him when he calls after her and tells her to slow down. "Dammit, Juvia, what the hell are you doing?!" he bellows, but she doesn't stop. His lungs are burning and he's sucking in smoke with every harsh breath, but he wills himself to push harder, run faster, and catch up to her as she speeds toward the edge of town.

Juvia races to the pier, feeling her magic surge within her as she draws nearer to the water. She skids to a stop at the very edge and turns to see Gray running at her. "Gray-sama!" she calls, holding out her arms and catching him as he slams right into her, almost knocking her off the dock and into the ocean.

"Juvia, what the hell are you trying to do?" he pants, steadying both of them. Sweat is dripping down his neck, and the air feels scorching. He groans and strips off his shirt, the heat becoming unbearable.

"Juvia is going to put out the fires," she tells him, breathing heavily. "Juvia can do it. Gray-sama, please stay here," she says, and then she turns and throws herself over the edge, plunging into the deep.

Gray drops to his knees and looks over, but the sea is black in the night, and he can't make out Juvia's form through the waves.

Under the surface, Juvia allows herself to merge with the ocean. She feels it wash over her and take her in, a calming presence, cooling her mind. She opens her mouth and draws in the water, spreading out her arms at the same time and letting her magic flow in with the current. They fit together, lock and key. She feels the sea submit to her, and she twists in the water and takes control.

Up above, Gray feels the hairs on his arm prickle and begin to stand on end as the water unexpectedly stills. For a single moment, the sea is as smooth as glass.

Then, a nearly deafening crack of thunder splits the silence, and Juvia rises with the waves, watery hands stretched towards the sky and deliberately summoning a raging storm. Gray grunts in surprise at the nearly painful impact of fat raindrops suddenly splattering against his skin, drenching him in mere moments, and he whips around to look at the town.

Juvia sees the fires in the distance begin to shrink at her elemental assault, but the sea tells her that it is not enough. It pushes her higher, spiraling her into the air on a great, twisting geyser, and Juvia accepts the magic of the water. She thrusts her arms out, and powerful jets of water swirl around them before shooting right for the fires. She watches them fly, feels every single one make contact, and almost hears the sizzle that heralds success as the flames are entirely doused, leaving no evidence of their existence except wet ashes and steam.

Gray stares up in awe at Juvia's form, held aloft by a churning column of water. He has seen her manipulate the ocean before, but never like _this_. She is truly in her element, mastering it completely. He feels his heart thudding loudly in his chest, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he recognizes that his breathlessness is no longer due only to the fact that he'd been running after her. He watches as she lowers her arms down to her sides, the rain fading with her movement until it is no longer falling. The water begins to calm and lowers her down, sending her back onto the pier with a gentle wave. He catches her as she stumbles into his arms with a splash before becoming solid once more.

Juvia looks up at him, eyes wide and hair plastered to her face. Unconsciously, her hands come up to grip Gray's arms, and they stand there, staring at each other. Juvia feels her heartbeat kick into overdrive, and she barely manages to whisper, "Gray-sama?"

"… You conjured a storm. On purpose," he says incredulously.

"Juvia needed to." She hesitates. "Juvia… Juvia did well?" she asks, eyes wide and looking earnestly at him from under thick, dark lashes.

Gray exhales sharply and feels his face grow warm. He smiles at her then, a proud, almost boyish grin. "Damn right you did."

Juvia smiles dreamily at him before her eyes flutter shut and she faints.

* * *

**Brace yourselves; the next chapter is as much of a doozy as this one! Thank you for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**My dad's name is Jose, so writing this chapter was kind of weird for me.**

* * *

Juvia is floating, weightless. It's dark, she notes idly, but she feels too tired to care. Her eyes are too heavy to open. She has the sense of being wrapped in a cool, gentle embrace, and as she flexes her fingers, she realizes it's the ocean. Or at least, she thinks so. It's vast, but welcoming. She can feel her magic flowing from her, out and around to merge with the waves and cradle her. Deep inside, from someplace far beyond her normal state of being, there is a shift, and a dam cracks and falls away, leaving some primal, powerful energy to burst forth in a dizzying rush.

She surges up towards consciousness.

* * *

She sits up with a gasp, and then she cries out when her skull smacks painfully against something, setting off sparks behind her closed eyelids.

"Ah, _damn it_, Juvia!"

She claps a hand to her throbbing forehead and cracks open both eyes to see Gray leaning away from her, mimicking her pose. There is a bright red mark on his brow. "Gray-sama!" she gasps. "Juvia is sorry!"

"S'alright," he grumbles a bit too crossly to be convincing. "You mumbled something and I thought you were waking up. Didn't expect you to headbutt me, though…"

_'Gray-sama was watching me sleep!' _Juvia thinks, feeling her face redden. She blinks and then gives her head a little shake, chastising herself for thinking of that and then glancing around. The last thing in her memory is being outside, at night; but now, she is in a bed in Lamia Scale's resting room, bright sunlight shining through the window. "Eh? How long has Juvia been asleep?"

"Two days," he replies, sitting on the edge of the bed and smirking at her exclamation of shock. "Yeah, you seriously overdid it. Chelia helped out with your magical exhaustion, but her Sky God Magic couldn't help with the physical fatigue, so..."

"Juvia needs to thank her for her help. Did… did they find Ash and Ilma?" she asks, and her heart drops when Gray frowns and looks away. The pair had gotten away. She buries her head in her hands and says forlornly, "This is Juvia's fault. If Juvia had been more cautious… If Juvia had noticed something that day on the pier—"

"Don't say stuff like that, stupid," Gray scolds her, placing a hand on her leg and ignoring the way she squeaks in embarrassment. "I was there too, and I didn't notice anything weird about her when she walked by. Let's just blame Lyon for not recognizing her voice right away and leave it at that," he jokes, earning a small giggle from her. "And hey, everyone in town's safe. Calling you a hero and all that, and Ooba came back from seeing the Council yesterday. Even she was impressed when she heard what happened, so, don't worry too much about it."

Juvia sniffles once and nods, smiling shyly up at him. "Thank you, Gray-sama."

"Just telling the truth." There is silence for a few moments, and then they both blink at each other when they realize that Gray hasn't removed his hand from her leg. He clears his throat and awkwardly moves away while she looks down at her lap to hide her blush. "Er, it's midday, and I haven't eaten yet, so…"

"Gray-sama should go eat, then. Juvia thinks she wants to take a bath now," she mumbles, still not looking at him.

"O-Okay," he answers her, inwardly annoyed at his stutter. He heads for the door and continues, "Well, come and find me when you're done. You've gotta eat, too."

Juvia nods and watches him leave, her heart feeling like it is about to fly right out of her chest when he glances back at her just before he disappears from her sight.

* * *

It is early afternoon when Ooba shuffles into the mess hall and calls out, "Fairy girl! Where are you?"

Gray snorts and Lyon looks up, smirking in amusement as he gestures to Juvia and says, "She does have a _name_, Ooba."

Ooba harrumphs and hobbles over to the table where they're sitting. "Don't sass me, boy. Fairy girl," she continues pointedly. "You've got yourself a visitor, out in the hall. Very rude, he is. Go speak with him right away."

The three of them exchange looks and get up, briskly heading for the heavy doors. When they push them open and step into the hall, the three of them grin at the man standing there.

"Gajeel-kun!"

"I'm here, too," Pantherlily pipes up from his place on Gajeel's shoulder as the latter raises his hand in greeting.

Juvia smiles at the Exceed and then at her friend, but she freezes in place when she realizes what he is dragging behind him with his other hand.

"It was easier than I thought," Gajeel remarks disdainfully, flinging the limp form of Jose Porla at Juvia's feet. "Totomaru had been keeping tabs on him ever since the guild disbanded, just to make sure he wouldn't try anything on Fairy Tail again."

Standing a few feet back from Juvia, Gray and Lyon feel the prickle of magic zinging through the air around them, emanating from Juvia, who has balled her hands into tight fists at her side. They eye her warily as she takes measured steps around Jose before nudging him onto his back with her boot. Juvia's expression becomes shuttered, but her eyes flash with anger.

She vaguely wonders if she should be worried that shifting into the persona of someone who was a member of Phantom Lord, absolutely ruthless, is easier than she thought it would be.

Deliberately, she brings her arm up and out at her side and whispers, "Water Cane." The men watch as her hand liquefies and elongates into a whip, and only the ice mages are shocked when Juvia brings it down upon Jose with a shout. The ex-Guild Master splutters to consciousness and brings his arms up to shield his face from Juvia's assault. Her hand returns to normal, and she looks down into his beady eyes with a sneer of disgust on her face. "Hello, Jose."

Jose's eyes narrow first at her and then at Gajeel, who has come to stand at her shoulder. He pauses for a moment before letting out a raspy chuckle and shaking his head. He looks around and notices a banner with Lamia Scale's emblem hanging above the doorway and hisses, "Well, well. To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected trip? Don't tell me you've jumped ship—pardon the pun—and become silly little sea creatures now." He glowers at Juvia and says, "Not that you'll ever truly be anything except an _ameonna_—ack!"

Gajeel has jumped forward with an animalistic roar and pins Jose down, choking off his words with an unforgiving hand. His fingers have become metallic claws, and he squeezes Jose's throat warningly and bellows, "Call her that again, fucker!" He slams the man's head against the ground. "Call her that one more _fucking _time, and I will rip your tongue out by the roots and let you drown in your own blood, you pathetic piece of sh—"

"Gajeel-kun," Juvia whispers, placing her hand on her friend's shoulder. Gajeel snarls and tightens his grip around the older man's throat to the point that it looks as though his eyes are about to pop right out of his head, and then he huffs and releases him.

Juvia waits until Gajeel is back by her side to address the man on the ground. "Get up," she orders. When Jose doesn't move, she swings her leg back and kicks him hard. "Get _up_."

Jose groans but obediently staggers to his feet.

"Gray," Lyon says. His voice is pleasant, but his eyes are furious. "For the sake of security, I think our _guest_ should be immobilized. Don't you?"

Gray narrows his eyes, smacking his fist into his palm before thrusting both hands out and hissing, "Ice Make: Lance." Two of the razor-sharp spears shoot forward, and each of them embed themselves deeply into Jose's arms; Gray jerks his hands back, forcing the older man's arms to twist behind him, rendering them useless. As fierce as the satisfaction he gets from harming the other man is, it doesn't help calm his raging blood or clear the red mist that has gathered at the edge of his vision. _'That bastard deserves more than just this_.'

Gajeel grins in approval, clearly enjoying Jose's cries of pain, but Juvia has no other reaction other than a slight tilt of her head. She then leans down and whispers menacingly, "Are you going to tell Juvia what she wishes to know?"

Jose huffs and grits his teeth against the screaming pain in his pinned arms. "W-Well… Haven't y-you grown bold, Juvia?"

She backhands him without warning and then grabs his jaw with cruel fingers, wrenching his head back to look at her. "Do not address me so informally," she says. "Look around, Jose. You have no allies here. No puppets. So are you going to stop playing games and start answering questions?" She holds her hand back out at her side and calls forth the water, but her emotions are so out of control that it manifests in her magic, and a writhing, boiling water whip coils outward from where her fingers should be.

Jose gulps and manages to nod at her. "Wh-What do y-you want t-to know?"

She releases his jaw and deliberately makes a show of wiping her hand off on her dress. Moving the other hand to point the watery whip threateningly at the base of his throat, she replies, "Juvia wants to know where your records of the Element 4 and elemental Magics are."

Jose's eyes widen in surprise, and suddenly, he begins to cackle. "Gone!" he howls, laughing dementedly. He grins triumphantly at the water mage and hisses, "Oh, silly little Juvia. They've been gone for a long time. Since years ago, not too long after you turned traitor to the guild."

Gajeel snarls and moves to strike him, the movement nearly jostling Pantherlily off his shoulder, but Juvia lashes the whip to block his path and snaps, "_Stop it_." Gajeel looks at her a moment before, amazingly, averting his eyes and backing up. Pantherlily pats his head sympathetically.

Juvia is livid, steam beginning to rise from her body; she tries to rein in her magic and bites out, "What do you mean they are _gone_? You destroyed them?"

Jose chuckles. "No. They were stolen."

"By who?"

"I don't know."

"What did they look like?"

"What do you care?" he spits. "Why are you suddenly so interested in the _failure _that was you and your guild?"

Juvia shrieks in rage and brings her whip up to strike, relishing the man's terrified flinch, but she doesn't bring it down on him. She steadies her hand, trembling with an anger that nearly makes her see white. "Juvia's guild is _Fairy Tail_. And Juvia is _not _a failure, and you will tell Juvia _right now _what this thief looked like, or Juvia will make you regret that you were ever s_tupid _enough to cross her; do you understand?!" she roars, the whip writhing at her outburst.

Jose growls low in his throat and bows his head in acquiescence, humiliated. "…Fine. It was years ago, but it was a boy around your age. I had no power after what had happened with… the battle. He easily overpowered me. He had crazy red hair, and orange eyes."

Juvia, Gray, and Lyon all stiffen, but Juvia is the one who, surprisingly, swears. She waves the water whip away, feeling the magic get sucked back in through her fingertips; angrily, she turns away from Jose. Then, without any warning at all, she gets into a fighting stance, braces one foot hard against the ground, and swings her other leg around to deliver a bone-shattering kick to Jose's jaw; he goes flying into the wall, snapping Gray's icy lances in half and taking the parts embedded in his arms with him.

Gray lets his hands drop and magic dispel, absolutely stunned. Lyon is openly gawking at her, and Gajeel lets out a low whistle as he claps a hand down on Juvia's shoulder. "Nice kick. You're fucking crazy, but nice kick."

Pantherlily flies off of Gajeel's shoulder and lands on top of Jose, peering down at him. "He's alive, but I think you broke his face."

"Good," Juvia huffs, crossing her arms. "He was useless; I'm sorry, Gajeel-kun. You tracked him down for nothing."

"Gihihi! I wouldn't call what I just saw you do to that bastard 'nothing'. Don't worry about it. I'll dump him back where I got him from and head to the guild to tell Makarov what happened."

Juvia nods and says, "Good; Master needs to know that Ash has the information we were looking for. And when you see Levy-chan, please tell her that anything she finds on elemental Magics and their spells is crucial knowledge."

"Got it," he says, walking over to pick up Pantherlily with one hand and hauling Jose's limp form up with his free arm. "Hopefully this'll all be over soon and you can come home. It's weird not having you around all the time," he comments offhandedly. His eyes slide over to look at Gray, and he frowns. "Not you though. We're fine without you."

Gray flips him off.

Juvia allows herself a tiny smile and says, "Thank you, Gajeel-kun. Juvia wants to come home right now, honestly, but Juvia needs to stay here. Juvia can't go anywhere until Ash is taken care of." Her brow furrows, and her voice is worried when she continues, "Juvia is very afraid that he will try to hurt her friends."

Gajeel rolls his eyes and lays a heavy hand on top of her head. "Don't be stupid," he says. "Who the hell do you think we are? Fairy Tail can handle anything."

"Juvia just wants everyone to be careful."

"Well, take your own advice, alright?"

"Juvia promises she will," she whispers.

"Good," he responds and, raising a hand in farewell to the rest of them, leaves.

Juvia watches him go and turns to find Lyon and Gray staring at her, both looking worried. Normally, she would feel flattered at the attention, but lately all she has been receiving is attention, some of it very unwelcome. She frowns and tries not to think of Ash and his threats.

"Juvia?"

"Juvia is fine," she responds automatically. She forces a smile and tries to be a bit more convincing. "Juvia is fine," she repeats. "Juvia just feels… tired."

The ice mages exchange looks, and Gray says, "Maybe you should go lie down. You kind of look pale, anyway. A rest might help."

Juvia nods wearily and begins to trudge off to the resting room, and Gray moves to follow her to make sure she really is going to sleep when he feels Lyon grip him by the arm and say, "No." Gray turns, scowling, and sees the silver-haired mage pointing to the floor in front of the doorway, spattered with blood from when his Ice Make: Lance had pierced Jose's arms. "You made the mess, now clean it up."

"Wha—You _told _me to!"

"I thought you were just going to freeze him in place, not _stab _him."

"No you didn't, you lying shit."

"… You're still cleaning it up, you brat. And watch your mouth."

"SCREW YOU!"

* * *

As she lays in bed, staring up at the ceiling, Juvia tries to somehow transform her exhaustion into sleepiness and doesn't succeed. Her brain is too addled, her thoughts flying off on several different tangents only to eventually curve back and return to the same thing, over and over again.

_"I'm here to warn you, my dear, that if you really care about these people as much as you seem to, you will do the right thing, and you will come find me."_

She huffs and shoves her pillow over her head, thinking that maybe it will silence her mind.

_"The longer you resist me, dear, the more people will get hurt! Can you live with that?"_

She sits up and whips the pillow across the room, hearing it smack into the wall as she buries her face in her hands and tries not to cry. She thinks of Jura, held captive by Ash and Ilma because they threatened his friends. And she thinks of hers. She recalls the first time she ever stepped foot in Fairy Tail, not as an enemy, but as a friend. She sees everybody's faces, laughing and kind, and feels the rush of warmth and security of coming to a place where she is always welcome, always cared for.

_'Home_,' she thinks, a tear sliding down her cheek. _'Fairy Tail is Juvia's home.'_

Everyone's faces flash through her mind, stopping on the one of an unexpectedly kind boy with fierce, dark eyes and a scar on his brow peeking through messy black hair. She sees the first smile he gave her, tired but bright after a battle, and this one treasured image is forever what she associates with the sun and feeling its warmth for the first time in her life. She feels her heart squeeze and smiles through her tears.

_"Can you live with that?"_

"No," she says aloud, drawing her knees up and resting her chin on them. "Juvia can't."

She closes her eyes and begins to plan.

* * *

**Here it comes...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Haha, you know what guys? I'm just gonna chap-spam you. Starting with this one. -sets down a box of tissues and flees-**

* * *

"Gray-sama."

Gray jumps in surprise when he enters the room later that night; Juvia hadn't reappeared all day, and he'd thought she had been sleeping. "Hey," he says, walking over to his bed as she sits up in hers. "How're you doing?"

Her expression is one of perfect calm, but her there is an odd flatness in her eyes. She clears her throat and, in a quiet voice, says, "Juvia is going to leave."

Gray blinks and raises a brow at her. "Okay? It's getting late, though, so you should probably go to bed soon."

"No," Juvia answers with a shake of her head. Her voice sounds strained when she continues, "That is not what Juvia meant. Juvia meant that… Juvia is going to leave. To find Ash." She locks eyes with him. "Alone."

It takes Gray a moment, but his mind is filled with equal parts anger and understanding when he realizes exactly what Juvia is telling him. "Like hell you are," he snaps, stomping over to her and grabbing her arm. "What do you think you're gonna do, just waltz out of town and wait for him to come and take you? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, Juvia!"

Her eyes flash, and she wrenches her arm out of his grasp and fires back, "It is not stupid! Juvia doesn't want to be the reason more people get hurt! What if he comes back and attacks the town again? What if he goes after Fairy Tail?"

"If he comes back here, we'll stop him, and if he goes after our guild, _they'll _stop him!"

"Not if Ilma is there!"

"They'd find a way to get around her!"

"Juvia is not willing to take that chance!" she screams, shaking her head vehemently. "If Juvia could just get to him, maybe pretend that she is willing to do what he says, he will tell Juvia all about his plans, and Juvia can find a way to tell you!"

"And what makes you think that _I _wanna take that chance that you could actually get away with that, huh?! You're not going," he growls. His tone brooks no argument. "If you wanna talk to Lyon about coming up with some sort of plan in the morning, that's _fine_, but it's not gonna involve you going off on your own. Master sent me with you to keep you safe, so I'm gonna do my damn job, and you should do yours."

Juvia tries to ignore the stab of pain she feels in her chest at the coldness in his voice. She reaches for him and whispers meekly, "But Juvia just wants to keep _you _safe, Gray-sama."

He stiffens and then pulls away in disgust. "Knock it off," he says warningly.

Juvia feels her heart drop. "Gray-sama—"

"I said _stop!_" he shouts, storming away from her. He runs his hand through his hair in agitation. "Why do you always do this, Juvia? Why do you _always _go out of your way to try and do something just because it involves me? It's insane."

"You know why Juvia does these things," she retorts coldly.

He bares his teeth at her in a grimace. "It's _ridiculous_. You know, I told you I'd say no to things that I didn't like, so here it is! I'm saying no! No to your plan, no to all this bullshit—just stop!" His voice is rising louder and louder, but at this point, he is so furious with her that he doesn't care if the entire guild hears him. "You know, it's crazy. You were so willing to be a puppet for Jose and Phantom Lord, but after that was all over, all you did was go off and try to do the same thing for someone else: me. And I don't want it! I never asked for you to chase after me all the time, and it's annoying as hell because you always go out of your way to do anything just for me, but you never do anything for the sake of yourself. That's not love! That's crap, and I would never accept those kinds of feelings! Get that through your head."

The second that those final words leave his mouth, Gray knows that he has gone way too far.

Juvia is devastated. She stares at him, harshly biting her lip to stop herself from sobbing aloud, but fat tears cascade down her cheeks regardless. "Juvia… understands…" she hiccups, ashamed at the sorrow in her voice.

"I… Juvia, I didn't—"

"Please," she sobs, turning away and burying her face in the pillow. She doesn't say anything else, only weeps.

Gray wants to do something, say something, but there is nothing that will undo the damage that his words have caused. He is aggravated; _all _he'd intended on saying was that she shouldn't keep trying to do everything just to please him. Of course that was what he'd meant. If she really loved him, couldn't she understand that she shouldn't be considering running off into a dangerous situation just because she wanted to keep him safe? But he'd ended up running his mouth off because once he'd gotten going, he hadn't known when to stop.

He stands in the middle of the room at a loss for a few moments before he grits his teeth and flops down onto his bed, viciously punching the pillow and settling down with his back to her. His stomach churns with shame and guilt, and all he can do is listen to her quietly cry until his eyes are too heavy to keep open any longer.

* * *

In the middle of the night, Juvia gets up and, as quietly as she can, dons her boots and battle dress from the Grand Magic Games. She looks down at herself and fingers the soft material, the parallel rows of little buttons running down her front. She remembers the fierce pride she had felt swelling within her as she'd walked out into the arena, that final day. Pride at being a member of Team Fairy Tail. Pride, for once, at being who she was.

She turns and looks at the boy sleeping in the bed next to hers, completely unaware of her movement. She smiles. _'I'm sorry, Gray-sama. But you were very wrong. Juvia is not doing this for you at all. Juvia is being entirely selfish right now,' _she thinks, softly approaching him. Hesitantly, she reaches out and brushes his bangs back from his forehead, her touch feather-light. He doesn't move. _'Juvia doesn't want to see you or anyone else get hurt for her sake. Juvia is going to find Ash because Juvia wants to, and she will save Jura. Juvia can do this... And if that means that you won't be harmed for it, how could Juvia even consider doing anything else?'_

Watching over him as she is, Juvia understands that, for all the confidence she has in her powers, she is still walking right into an unknown situation. And unknowns are dangerous in the world of magic. She knows that there is, however small, a possibility that she might fail. _'Last chance,' _she thinks. This might be her last chance to see Gray.

_'Last chance… to touch him,' _she thinks, cautiously laying her hand against his cheek. She forces herself not to stiffen or pull away when he sighs in his sleep and shifts against her touch. Her breath hitches in her throat. _'Last chance… to kiss him.'_

Tears fill her eyes, and she doesn't hesitate to lean down and press a tender kiss to his forehead, heart pounding in her chest. She won't do more; he wouldn't want it. _'Juvia wishes she could tell you,' _she thinks as she draws back, struggling not to cry. _'Juvia wishes you could know…'_

"I love you," she mouths. She reaches up and unclips the little golden butterfly ornament from her hair and lays it on the nightstand right beside him, hoping that he will see it in the morning when he wakes up. Without another sound, she leaves the room.

Out in the empty front hall, Juvia approaches the Communication Lacrima on its pedestal. Although everyone in Lamia Scale has already turned in, she knows that at Fairy Tail, everyone will likely be up well into the early hours of the morning. She places her hand on the crystal and feels the zing of magic shoot from her guild stamp as it activates. She nervously glances around until the glow from the Lacrima fades, and Mirajane's face comes into view.

"Juvia! I'm surprised to hear from you; is everything alright? Do you need to talk to the Master?" she asks.

Juvia gives her a watery smile, her ears catching the muted sounds of plates clattering and people speaking just under Mirajane's voice. "Mira-san," she begins, "Juvia needs you to tell the Master to send Team Natsu to Lamia Scale as soon as possible. Juvia needs them to arrive tomorrow morning."

Mirajane looks confused. "They'll have to be up awfully early to catch the first train to Hargeon, but alright," she replies. She frowns and asks, "Juvia, are you alright? You look kind of sad. Is everything okay over there?"

"Everything is fine," she lies. "Juvia just wishes that we could find Jura-san, which is why Juvia suggested bringing the rest of Team Natsu to come and help. Perhaps if they were here, we could do more to find him. Juvia is very worried for him."

Mirajane makes a sympathetic murmur and says, "I know. I wish we could say we're having luck on our end with research, but so far, nothing's turned up."

"That is alright. Just tell everyone to keep working hard. And Mira-san?"

"Yes?"

"When Gajeel-kun gets back from returning Jose in a few days, would you apologize to him for Juvia?"

"Apologize?"

"Yes. Juvia is going to break a promise that she made, and she might… forget to apologize for it later," she says, her voice strangled. Mirajane's brow furrows.

"Juvia… are you sure everything is okay over there?"

Juvia's face scrunches up, and she cannot prevent her voice from coming out in a sob. "Juvia loves Fairy Tail so much," she says, cutting off the flow of her magic to the Lacrima before Mirajane can say another word. The connection is broken, and the only image that Juvia sees in the crystal is her own desolate expression. A pulse of magic comes from the Lacrima almost immediately, signaling her that Mirajane is trying to reach her once more, but Juvia knows that she has no time.

She furiously wipes her tears and takes a deep breath before she turns and leaves the guild, proud that she only glances back just once, when her head is filled with thoughts of Gray.

But she knows that by the time he wakes up, she will be long gone.

* * *

When Juvia reaches the forest north of town, Ilma is in a dark cloak waiting for her at the edge of the tree line. Her pale eyes shine in the darkness, and Juvia is surprised when the woman smiles kindly at her and says, "I wondered how long it would take."

"Where is Ash?" Juvia asks, her voice and gaze stony.

Ilma chuckles and sweeps an arm out, gesturing for Juvia to precede her into the woods. Juvia hesitates for the briefest of moments before holding her head high and beginning to walk forward. Ilma falls into step behind her and says, "Ash is at the ruins with our other… guest."

Juvia scoffs and murmurs, "So you _were _nearby all along."

"Of course," she replies matter-of-factly. "Some people are just so _final_ about some things; you check off an option once it seems to be a dead-end, but you'll never go back and reconsider. We simply waited until Lamia Scale exhausted their search near the area and then moved in. The only challenge we ran into was you."

Juvia is silent, focusing on trying to navigate through the thick foliage without tripping over a root and breaking her neck. The scent of pine and spruce fills her nose every time she breathes in, and it is so dark that she can barely make out her own hands in front of her. She winces every time an errant branch scratches her cheek or snags in her hair. After painfully smacking her hand into a tree and scraping it against the bark, she grumbles, "I don't understand how you're walking so calmly."

"I know the woods better than you do," Ilma responds, sounding almost amused. "Relax. We're almost there."

"Will you tell Juvia what you want with her and Jura-san?"

"Ash will explain things to you once we're there."

Juvia huffs when the woman doesn't say anything further, continuing to struggle through the forest until after what seems like hours, they come to a little clearing. Juvia takes in the sight of the stone frame of what was likely once a magnificent guild; but now, it is crumbling and overgrown with plants; time has worn away its beauty. As she steps forward, she is terrified when the breath rushes out of her and she can't expand her lungs with another one. She claws at her throat before instinctively transforming into water and splashing towards the ruins. "What was that?" she gurgles, watching Ilma approach her.

"A precaution against any unwelcome visitors," she answers serenely. "You can change back now. I control the bubble of air surrounding this clearing; you breathe if I say you can, and since we need you, you can." There is a warning glint in her eye when she says, "But in case you had any ideas about getting your friends to trail you, they'll be suffocating when they get here."

Juvia's eyes narrow challengingly at the other woman, and she reforms her body and bites out, "There is nobody following Juvia; Juvia didn't tell them she was going."

Ilma smiles sweetly and gestures for her to follow as she walks towards the ruins. "Good. This will be easier, then."

Gingerly stepping over worn stone, they enter the shell of the old guild and make their way towards the back. Ilma pushes a tangle of falling vines blocking a narrow hole out of the way and motions for Juvia to step forward. She obeys nervously and finds herself in a bare, dusty room with nothing but a rotting, wooden trap door and Ash, who grins at her with a flame in his hand.

"Wonderful," he croons, holding his hand up so he can provide a better light to see Juvia with. "I knew your self-sacrificial nature would lead you to make the right choice. Now, you have nothing to worry about but yourself, dear."

Juvia feels her skin crawl, but she manages to keep her voice surprisingly level when she gestures toward the trap door and asks, "Is Jura-san down there?"

Ash's eyes narrow, and he reaches down to unlock the latch and lift the door open. There are stone stairs descending into darkness. "See for yourself," he says, and his tone tells her that it is an order, not an offer.

She hesitates, but when Ilma places a reassuring hand on her shoulder, she jerks away and storms down without another word. She braces her hands on the walls on either side of her and takes step after step, stumbling when she reaches the bottom. She edges forward, hearing Ash and Ilma following after her, but Ash's flame extinguishes in a whisper of sound. They walk for a few moments, and Juvia grunts in surprise when she smacks into stone. She places her hands in front of her and feels along the barrier, concluding that it is a barred door. She slides the slab of wood up and over with a huff of exertion, and then, with great effort, she pushes open the heavy door.

The sight that greets her chills her to the bone.

* * *

**-a shout from somewhere in the distance- SORRY NOT SORRY.**


	7. Chapter 7

**-JAEGERING INTENSIFIES-**

* * *

The space beyond the door is cavernous, lit by an eerie blue glow that is radiating from four giant Lacrima that rise from floor-to-ceiling in the four corners of the room. But Juvia's gaze is focused on the opposite wall, where Jura is unconscious, chained up in Lacrima-lined manacles.

Her eyes widen, and before she can react at all, Ash seizes her arms from behind and snaps the same restraints around her wrist. He jerks her to him and hisses in her ear, "Did you really think that I would be stupid enough to invite you here and provide you with any chance to escape? The Lacrima in these chains will absorb any magical energy that you expend, so unless you want to be drained dry, Juvia of the Great Sea, you _will _behave yourself."

Juvia trembles, though she is not sure if it is from anger or fear. Relying on pure adrenaline and primal instinct, she jerks her head backward and cracks it against Ash's face, hard enough to hear something snap and for him to cry out and stumble away. She swings her leg up and around to deliver a kick when a painful cyclone of air spirals into her gut and sends her flying back, landing painfully on her bound arms. She grits her teeth through the pain and looks up to see Ilma bearing down her.

"I don't _care_ if he needs you," she growls, crooking her fingers and summoning the air from Juvia's lungs. "If you try to hurt him again, I will hurt _you_."

Choking and with tears streaming from her eyes, she furiously nods in understanding at the other woman, recognizing the savageness in the other woman's eyes, the will to protect what is precious pervading every bit of her body. Juvia's lungs sear for a little while longer before the air returns in a great whoosh, and she gasps and flounders.

Ash, clutching a bloodied hand over his face, sneers down at her and says, "I was going to try to be accommodating, but I can see we'll need to use harsher measures with you. Ilma, let's go. Our girl here came hoping for information, but I think she deserves to be left in the dark for a while, don't you?"

Juvia watches them leave and slam the stone door shut. She hears the slab of wood groan and fall back into place, and she knows that she is trapped. The rush of adrenaline fades, leaving her shaky and exhausted; she curls up on her side, ribs throbbing from Ilma's assault, and begins to cry.

* * *

Juvia cracks her eyes open when she hears the sound of the door booming shut, and she groans at the rawness of her eyes. She doesn't remember falling asleep, but she has the sense that time has passed and that it must be morning. She shifts and turns on her back, looking at whoever has entered the room.

Through the dim Lacrima glow, she sees Ilma, and the woman turns to look at Juvia with an unreadable expression. She shifts in place for a moment before clearing her throat and saying, "I'm sorry."

Juvia blinks. Her ribs ache.

Ilma kneels down to shift Juvia into a sitting position, wincing when the water mage hisses in pain at the movement. She reaches out to prod the girl's stomach but pulls back Juvia flinches away. "I didn't mean to hurt you badly. But you hurt Ash, and I won't tolerate that."

Juvia takes a shaky breath and ventures, "You love him… don't you? Is that why you're doing this with him?" Ilma's eyes narrow at her, but Juvia can see the poorly disguised shine of emotion in them that tells her she has hit the mark. Ilma scoffs and looks away, and the movement sends her hair fluttering from her cheek, exposing skin mottled with a recent bruise. Juvia can't contain her gasp of surprise at the sight.

Ilma's hand flies up to her cheek in a poorly coordinated move, and she whimpers in pain at the contact. She takes a breath and replies quietly, "Not that it's any of your business, but Ash and I were childhood friends. I've known him nearly all of my life. I would do anything for him."

"Did he give that to you?"

"Why do you care?" Ilma snaps, and then she draws back. "… Forgive me. But it's of no importance. I wasn't supposed to hurt you, and for that, I was punished. I disobeyed him," she whispers, sounding ashamed.

Juvia is silent as she tries to reconcile the versions of this air mage from the three times they have met: the sweet, kind woman on the pier, the cold, manipulative woman from the attack, and the one that falls somewhere in between in this Lacrima-lit room.

From the back of the room, there is a groan, and both of the women whip around to look at Jura, who is beginning to stir. Without missing a beat, Ilma flicks her fingers towards him and draws out the air from his lungs, ignoring Juvia's cries of protest. When Jura goes limp almost immediately, she lets him breathe again and claps a hand over Juvia's mouth. "Stop screaming," she hisses. "I only needed him to pass out again, otherwise he will keep trying to use magic. I learned that the hard way when I kept letting him try to escape, and he almost died from magical exhaustion."

Juvia ducks her head away and hisses, "But you're going to kill us anyway."

"It's necessary."

_"Why?"_

"Do _not_ raise your voice!" she snarls, and Juvia balks at the glimmer of fear in the other woman's eyes. "If Ash hears you, he will get angry. You don't want that." Ilma sighs and looks down at her lap. "He is very much like his magic," she murmurs. "Quick to rage, and uncontrollable until he burns out. It makes sense that he is a Fire Master."

"Fire Master?"

Ilma stares at her, mouth agape. "Don't tell me you don't know about elemental masters. Are you really that dense?"

Juvia's befuddled expression speaks for itself.

Ilma lets out an incredulous scoff. "I don't believe it. You… Have you ever met another water mage with powers like yours? Turning your body to water, controlling the sea, conjuring storms? Have you ever seen that in anyone else?"

"N-No…"

"That's because abilities like that are not _common _in the magical world. Those are traits that separate normal elemental mages from the masters; masters have total control over what they specialize in. They are so in tune with the nature of their magic that it is possible for them to _become _their element. It's a gift from the four pillars of magic that created this world. It's a rare thing; very few people are actually simply… born with that kind of power."

Juvia's eyes are wide as she takes in Ilma's words. "Juvia… has never heard any of this."

Ilma shrugs nonchalantly and says, "Well… perhaps it's not as big a surprise as I thought. It's not often that people nowadays pay much attention to the four basic Magics when there are so many different kinds that one can possess. And with the ability to gain power by surgically implanting a magically-charged Lacrima in your body if you wanted to… Hmph. The elemental Magics are treated as common nowadays, but in the beginning of this world, they were the foundations upon which our lives were built." She glances at Juvia out of the corner of her eye and sees the girl eagerly watching her, expression clearly indicating that she finds the information fascinating.

It reminds her of herself, so many years ago, reading books on the elements with Ash and, somehow, stumbling upon the greatest answer of her entire life. She doesn't know if the sudden wave of nostalgia that hits her is responsible, or if it is the blue-haired girl's almost childlike interest, but she finds herself asking, "Do you know the story of The One Magic?"

Juvia blinks and nods, wondering where the older woman is going with this. "The One Magic… the origin of all of the Magics in the universe. There isn't a mage alive who doesn't know about it."

Ilma smiles in approval and prompts, "Do you know what it _truly _is, though? The source?" When Juvia shakes her head 'no', Ilma continues. "There is a very ancient text that says that when this world was first created, it was because of The One Magic. And once everything came into being, that magic split into five parts: there is earth, water, air, and fire. These are the elemental pillars that make up the world we live in. The fifth part is said to be unseen, but dwells in every particle of this world."

"Eternano," Juvia breathes. "The source of all magical energy in mages."

"Yes," Ilma responds, a fervent light shining in her pale eyes. "And it is said that, when all of these are brought back together—earth, water, air, fire, and the Eternano in a mage's body—The One Magic will form. Aether."

Juvia freezes, a wispy memory fluttering to the forefront of her mind. "Do… Do you mean like the Etherion?"

Ilma frowns and shakes her head. "No, Juvia. _Aether. _The Etherion was a purely destructive magic, composed of the four elements but lacking the living Eternano. Aether is Creation Magic; it makes life, infinitely powerful life."

Juvia feels a chill slither up her spine, and she resists the urge to curl in on herself as she asks, "What makes you so sure that all of this is true? Juvia has heard many theories on The One Magic, and—"

"I know it's true because Ash believes it," Ilma snaps, her eyes flinty with disapproval and voice cold. She rises to her feet and glares down at Juvia. "Ash has been with me nearly all of my life, and I would never doubt his knowledge. He has worked for _seven years_ to finally bring his dream to fruition, and I won't allow _you _to question that. You couldn't possibly understand!"

Juvia backs down from the fierce stare and instead glances around the room, trying to piece together the information that she has just acquired. She compares what she knows of Etherion to what she remembers about the Abyss Break. Both destructive, that much is true. But…

"The Abyss Break," she says aloud. "Was that Creation Magic? The Element 4 was supposed to use it to destroy."

Ilma watches her, gauging how she should respond. "I take it that you know we've researched you? And your ex-guild." At Juvia's prompting look, she rolls her eyes and sighs, "It's not Creation Magic at all; Jose Porla was just an ignorant fool who thought it was. You know, when Ash and I had first heard of Phantom Lord and their famed Element 4, we were excited. We'd actually thought that the time had finally come when someone would uncover the secret of The One Magic and guide mages everywhere into a new era. A perfect, magical world—that was what we believed. How stupid. Tell me, was anyone else in your little team an Element Master like you?"

"… No," she mumbles, uncomfortable with the phrase 'Element Master' being associated with her. What Element Master? She is Juvia Lockser. She was a rain woman. She is a Fairy Tail mage. Those are the titles that she knows, the latter being the one she prefers above anything else.

"Exactly," Ilma huffs. "You can't hope to harness the power of Creation Magic without having Element Masters to fuel it."

"You can't?"

Ilma looks at her like she is an idiot. "Of course not. Creation Magic requires the magical energy of Element Masters, and their Eternano. The Abyss Break is a spell that was created to try and harness that magic, but it is simply meant for destruction, because the elemental Magics are the only thing that it requires. If Jose had been using Creation Magic, he wouldn't have needed his machine. He would have simply needed to fuse the Elemental Masters' magics and Eternano together. But he was an idiot who didn't understand the concept of research, and so he made pathetic assumptions, thinking he was going to utilize a power that will never belong to him. We are not fools, though, so we will not make the same mistake."

"Wait!" Juvia shouts as Ilma turns to leave. She nearly falls forward onto her face when she tries to shuffle towards the other woman, off balance with her hands chained behind her. "Juvia doesn't understand. Tell Juvia, please… What is Creation Magic's purpose? What is your goal?"

Ilma's expression is shuttered when she replies mechanically, almost as if she were reciting from a book, "When the four elemental Magics are combined with the Eternano of the Element Masters, the Aether forms and automatically creates a being that possesses a limitless supply of it. This magical being, this Ultimate Mage, will harness the infinitely powerful form of magic, capable of boundless destruction and magnificent creations, able to master life itself. Such power that hasn't been heard of or witnessed since the age of Zeref, the Dark Mage. When this cataclysmic event occurs, a new era of magic will dawn."

Juvia pales and watches the woman leave the room. Her stomach churns, and she hunches over and vomits onto the ground in front of her. Shakily, she glances at each corner of the room, the purpose of the giant Lacrima now horrifyingly clear to her.

_'Juvia is going to be fused with a Lacrima. They're going to sacrifice us all to create the Ultimate Mage. Capable of anything. Is this really the truth? Is this really what The One Magic is?'_

She shuffles away from the bile on the ground and lies back down in the center of the room. The Lacrima-lined manacles sting her wrists, rubbing her skin raw with every shift. This little pain, combined with the dizzying amount of information she's just received, is too much for her to bear. She tries to calm herself, but her efforts are in vain as tears begin to pour down her cheeks. "Please," she whispers to no one, her voice reverberating off the walls. "Please find me."

* * *

Juvia doesn't know how much time has passed when the door begins to creak open again. She has spent every minute watching Jura, hoping that the other mage will regain consciousness and form a plan with her, but he never opens his eyes. Juvia rolls over to face the door and sees Ash and Ilma enter the room. She trembles when Ash aims his hand at the base of the door and flames spiral out, igniting in a great wall of fire, effectively sealing them in.

"Hello, my dear," he greets her, his voice charming. He reaches out for her and chuckles when she backs up, growling at him like an animal. "My, my. What a vicious little Element Master you are. You know, Juvia," he murmurs lowly, leaning close to her. "I have waited so long for this opportunity. I've watched you ever since your Phantom Lord days, waiting for the chance to finally get my hands on you. And then you went and joined Fairy Tail. Heh. Ridiculous, but I believed in my own abilities. I knew that there was some way I could reach you. And then, you just dropped off the face of the earth. Vanished into thin air."

Juvia shivers at the way his voice twists into something sinister. Faintly, she hears crackling, and realizes that it is coming from him. His wild, red hair is shifting, the tips flaring to life and smoke curling up from the fiery ends. She swallows hard and tries to shore up some sense of the bravery that she'd set out with in the middle of the night, but it is as fragile as she feels.

"I thought my plans were ruined," he hisses, eyes blazing. "All the work. All the research. Gone up in smoke. Seven years. Seven long years of fruitlessly searching for another water mage like you. Another Element Master. _Nothing_," he snarls. "And then, as suddenly as you'd vanished, you were back. The whole world was talking about those damn games, about 'Fairy Tail's miraculous return' to the top. Tch. I pulled myself together, and I was patient. I waited for you to make your way to Lamia Scale, and I waited for you to put that naïve, sacrificial personality of yours to good use and come after me on a fool's errand, thinking you could save your friends."

He grins maniacally and seizes her by the arms, delighting in her terrified gasp and the glistening tears of terror slipping from the corners of her eyes. "I think I've waited long enough." He flings her towards Ilma and barks, "Keep her quiet until the seal is finished." Without another glance, he pulls a light pen from the inside of his cloak and begins to work.

Ilma helps Juvia up and takes her to the opposite wall, where Jura is chained. The older woman looks nervous, Juvia realizes, and she frowns and whispers, "Are you afraid of Ash?"

"No!" Ilma hisses, glancing at the man in question to see if he has heard. He is intent in his work, the outer and inner circles of the seal carefully being traced. "No, I'm not. I will do anything he asks, and follow him anywhere, even into death."

Her voice is passionate and familiar, and Juvia nods at her and murmurs wistfully, "Juvia… can understand that." For the first time in hours, she thinks of Gray and feels her heart ache. "Juvia knows what that kind of love feels like."

Ilma watches the girl's eyes, sees them fade as though they are looking at a faraway memory that no one else can see. Juvia smiles, slow and sweet, and Ilma's brow furrows. "Do you mean that boy? The one you were trying to protect a few nights ago when we found you?"

Juvia sucks in a pained breath that is the answer. "Gray-sama," she whispers. "I love him the same way you love Ash."

Ilma suddenly knows a throbbing regret, carving out a place and curling up in her ribs, and she glances towards the fire mage. In her mind, she sees the image of him from decades ago when they were children, playing in a field outside their home. Manipulating the wind to spin around them in wild gusts. The joy at realizing that their Magics were compatible, because air fuels fire, and to her young self, that meant that they should be together forever. _'I'll follow him forever_,' she thinks, taking a steadying breath and trying to ready herself for death, but Juvia's next words make her realize that she may never be as ready as Ash wants her to be.

"Juvia loves Gray-sama enough to die for him, but Juvia wants to live by his side far more."

Ilma's eyes widen, and she feels hot tears prickling the backs of them for a reason she doesn't understand. _'Live by his side…' _Her mouth hardens in a firm line. _'I have lived by his side. For twenty-nine years, I've lived by his side. That time is up. I've been with him long enough.'_

"Are you sure?" the girl asks, and Ilma stiffens when she realizes she's spoken aloud. "Why do you want to die with him to create something that you aren't even sure will work?"

"It will work," Ilma says, something forced and artificial in her tone. "Ash has always believed it would work, ever since we were teenagers. And I believe him."

"But you love him," Juvia protests. "You love him. How can you just let him die for the sake of an ideal?"

The air mage inhales sharply and turns away from Juvia. Her shoulders are trembling. She wants to say something to the girl, to tell her that she couldn't possibly understand the magnitude of her love for Ash. But a quiet, little voice in the back of her mind whispers, _'You don't have an answer for that, Ilma.'_

She watches him draw the seal and hopes that maybe, once they are being absorbed by the Lacrima that will break down their bodies and combine their beings, he will look at her the way he is looking at the glowing symbols being traced in the air—with absolute joy and pride. Lovingly. Smiling. Coming full circle, the harsh man he has become in his quest for the Element Masters fading back into the sweet boy who'd taken her hand and spun with her in fields when they were little.

It is all she's ever wanted.

"My friend," Juvia hesitantly whispers, "has told me that she believes The One Magic to be something other than what you believe. She thinks that The One Magic is available in every being, in a limitless supply."

There is silence for a few moments, but something in the other girl's voice is too certain for Ilma to resist asking, "… What is it?"

"Love," Juvia answers, no trace of doubt in her tone. There is only complete conviction. "Love is The One Magic."

Ilma feels a tear slide down her cheek. _'You're naïve, Juvia,' _she thinks. _'If that were true, Ash would have only been looking at me all this time. He would have been happy simply just to be with me.'_

She watches the seal, this goal of Ash's that she has dedicated her life to helping him achieve. The signal of the end of their time together, now that the journey is complete. She forces herself not to weep, but it is suddenly harder than it has ever been before.

* * *

**All mistakes are mine, bee-tee-dubs, so if you see, like, a wonky sentence or mispelled words, be like, 'Hey stupid. You can't write.' Or something like that, you know.**


	8. Chapter 8

**If any of you are like 'Wow lady, you had all these chapters written and you were gonna hold them back from us you bitch?' the answer is YEP. BUT I HAD A CHANGE OF HEART. SO UM. HERE YOU GO.**

* * *

Gray wakes up to someone pounding on the door, calling his name. Half-asleep, he stumbles out of bed to wrench it open and is greeted with a blow to the face that leaves his ears ringing and sends him crashing to the ground.

"Juvia is _gone_," Lyon snarls, advancing on him and snatching him up by the front of his shirt.

Gray's vision swims and his head lolls back. "What are you talking about?" he slurs, the side of his mouth aching; he can taste blood. "She's right—here…" he trails off, turning to see Juvia's empty bed. A glimmer of gold catches his eye, and he glances up at the nightstand to see her little butterfly clip resting on the surface. He frowns. "Where the hell is she?"

Lyon drops him to the ground and scoffs in disgust. "Where do you think?" he hisses before storming from the room.

Gray's heart drops into his stomach with a great swoop of dread, and he scrambles up from the floor and runs after Lyon. "Are you telling me that she went off and—"

"Of course that's what I'm telling you," Lyon snaps as he strides into the entrance hall. He gestures at the Communication Lacrima. "I got a message from your guild; they've been trying to reach us for hours. Juvia contacted them in the middle of the night; the woman I spoke to—Mirajane, I think—said that she'd been acting funny and cut off contact for no reason. I checked your room; she wasn't there. I sent people out into the town; nobody's seen her." He turns and viciously shoves Gray back, snarling, "You had a job, Gray, _one _fucking job. Keep her safe. And because of you, she's probably gone running off right to Ash, and we don't know exactly where he is! The forest north of here is huge; it could take hours just to comb every inch and they might not even be there anyway!"

"I didn't ask her to go off on a suicide mission," Gray shouts, returning the shove with an ever harsher one. "I told her not to!"

"I know what you told her! The entire damn guild knows what you told her!"

Gray freezes, and shame colors his face. He grits his teeth and looks down at the floor, muttering, "I just didn't want her to go and do something stupid."

Lyon lets out a harsh bark of laughter and throws his arms out at his sides, shaking his head. With more than a hint of bitterness, he says, "I don't get it, Gray. How the hell do you keep doing this?"

"Doing _what_?"

"How do you keep having these women in your life who care about you to the point that they'd willingly go off and die just to keep you safe, and you don't even realize that about them until they actually do it?"

That hits him far harder than any physical blow ever could. He tries to swallow past the lump that rises in his throat, but it chokes him with emotions that he would rather not remember. He breathes shakily and balls his trembling hands into fists, trying to find words that can counter that, that can prove Lyon wrong, but all he is faced with is the horrifying similarity of Ur promising to seal his darkness, Ultear giving up all of her time so he would have more, and Juvia telling him that she just wanted to keep him safe, offering up her heart to someone who couldn't even be grateful for it.

He feels sick.

Both men turn when someone begins to hammer on the great doors, and Lyon moves away from Gray with an agitated huff and mutters, "That better be who I think it is."

Gray watches, confused, as Lyon opens the door. Before he can even blink, there's a flash of bright red hair and the sound of a sword being drawn, shining as light from the outside reflects off of the blade that is suddenly being pointed right at his throat. "I swear to God, Gray," Erza snarls, brown eyes blazing in fury. "I will _kill _you if you _ever_ fail a comrade so badly again, am I making myself_ clear_?"

Gray tries to breathe shallowly, fearing that the razor-sharp sword will bite into his skin at the smallest movement. Erza realizes this and draws back only by a centimeter, which is enough for Gray to make the tiniest of nods before she sheathes her sword and he drops to his knees. He looks behind her and sees Lucy, Natsu, and Happy, all of them watching him with varying degrees of disappointment. "Why are you guys here?" he croaks.

The rest of Team Natsu steps into the hall, and Lucy says, "Mirajane told us last night that Juvia called and asked for us to get here as soon as possible. When we couldn't make contact again, we left right away."

"They got here an hour or two ago," Lyon adds, shutting the doors. "I sent them to search for Juvia in town."

"Why the hell didn't you wake me when they got here?" Gray snaps, irritated.

"I don't trust you anymore when it comes to Juvia's safety," Lyon replies coldly.

"I don't think any of us do," Natsu says, and even Happy nods seriously and throws in a solemn 'aye'. Gray looks around, and the extent of just how badly he has fucked up hits him like a crippling blow. Natsu frowns at the lost look in Gray's eyes and walks over to haul him to his feet, saying, "Look, Gray. You can feel guilty about letting Juvia go off on her own later, but right now, we gotta find her. Now listen up; last night, Levy found something in her books. I didn't really get it… or remember all of it, but—"

"Natsu," Lucy interrupts. "I remember what she said. Gray, Levy found a passage that talks about different theories about what The One Magic might be, and the one she read said that a long time ago, people used to believe that it was the unity of the four elemental Magics and Eternano. People used to call it Aether, or Creation Magic. We think… we think this Ash guy is going to use Juvia and Jura as part of his plan to cast Creation Magic and make a mage that can master The One Magic completely. An all-powerful being," she finishes.

"What? How is that even possible?"

"By fusing their bodies into Lacrima, much like what happened at the Tower of Heaven," Erza tells him. "It'll combine them all and create the Ultimate Mage. We don't even know if that's really what will happen, but even if Creation Magic is nothing but a myth, they'll all still be killed if their bodies are fused with Lacrima. We need to find where they are, immediately."

"The last we saw of Ash and his partner, Ilma, they were headed to the forest north of here, but we lost them in the edges. That forest is huge; it would take hours just to look through it all, and no offense, but the addition of you three won't make that much of a difference in our forces," Lyon says, gesturing to the rest of Team Natsu.

Natsu grins and points at him. "Wrong!" he exclaims, and then he turns to Gray, who is staring at him in confusion. Natsu raises a challenging brow at him and says, "C'mon, Gray. Use your head. Why would Juvia ask for just us if she was walking off into danger? Why not all of Fairy Tail? Why tell us that we had to get here by morning?"

It is a surreal experience for Gray to be told by Natsu, of all people, to use his head, but he listens. He clears his mind of the horrible guilt and regret he feels for his last words to Juvia, and—although it is the most difficult thing of all—he pushes aside his paralyzing fear that she will end up just like Ultear and Ur.

He thinks. _'Why them? Because they're my friends, Juvia knows that. They're strong? Juvia knows that too. But that can't be it; everyone's strong. She's strong. She's—fuck, come on, Gray, _think. _Why them? What can they do? Lucy has Celestial Spirits, Erza has armor and weaponry, Natsu's a Dragon Slayer. How does that help track—'_

Natsu yelps in surprise when Gray grabs him by the muffler and exclaims, "You can track her down! Your sense of smell!"

Natsu grins and claps him on the back. "That's amazing, man, you only _look _stupid. Now c'mon, gimme something she had recently that I can get her scent from, like clothes."

"Her bag's in the resting room," Lyon tells him, but then he frowns. "Except… Damn it. I remember Chelia taking all of the clothes she'd worn to clean them. She was hoping that Juvia would come back soon and wanted to do something nice for her."

Gray swears and tugs his fingers through his messy hair, gritting his teeth in frustration. He turns to dash back to the resting room, throwing the door open and glancing around. Juvia's bed is unmade, but she clearly hasn't slept in it much because there is no imprint of her body left behind on the sheets. He spies her bag halfway under it, open and empty. He looks for something else that she has left behind that might have a strong enough scent on it for Natsu when suddenly, he sees a sparkle on the edge of his vision. He approaches his nightstand and snatches up the little, glittering butterfly.

_'She left this behind_,' he realizes with a stunned exhale. _'She left it because she wanted us to find her and bring her back. Goddammit, Juvia. How can you be so fucking stupid, but so fucking smart?' _He doesn't know whether to laugh or cry and is saved from ending up doing one or, God forbid, both when there is a whisper of sound from the doorway; Gray turns and sees Lyon watching him, arms crossed over his chest.

He holds up the little butterfly that looks far too fragile in his large, calloused hand. "She wants us to find her," he whispers, wondering why the words are so hard to choke out.

"She wants you to find her," Lyon amends, and his eyes are sympathetic when he comes over and reaches out to ruffle Gray's hair.

The affectionate action brings him closer to tears than ever, and he swipes at his eyes in frustration. "I'm not… your kid brother," he mutters, his voice thick. Lyon says nothing and waits for Gray to compose himself before heading back out into the entrance hall with him, trailing a few steps behind when Gray holds the butterfly clip out to Natsu.

Gray watches as Natsu inhales and begins to walk around, following Juvia's scent as Happy flies over the Fire Dragon Slayer's head. He moves towards the Communication Lacrima, circling around it before walking to the doors.

"Do you have it, Natsu?" Happy squeaks, landing on his owner's shoulder.

Natsu sniffs a couple of times and then turns towards the group with a foxlike grin. "It's faint, but I think I've got the right trail."

Gray balls his hands into fists and bares his teeth in a determined expression. Fiercely, he says, "Let's go find Juvia."

* * *

They follow Natsu to the edge of the forest, and he points to an opening in the tree line and announces, "I can tell she went in there, but it's kind of like her scent just… drops off. There's another one here, though. Smells like a girl." He claps a hand over his nose and mumbles, "The air kind of smells funny around here now…"

"That's Ilma," Lyon says warningly, stepping forward and through the trees. "Be careful about your breathing, now; she's a powerful air mage, and she might be manipulating the atmosphere with her magic.

"How are we going to find Juvia in the forest if Natsu can't keep following her trail?" Lucy whispers worriedly.

"I doubt they'd be taking a lot of twists and turns in here," Gray says, striding forward. The rest of the group follows, and he says, "Let's just keep heading straight and be on the lookout for anything weird, alright?"

They are silent for a while as they carefully navigate through the undergrowth, mindful of not stepping over anything that could make a noise and alert anyone to their surroundings. There is a sharp hiss from Erza as a gnarled branch clips her cheek, but then she blinks and murmurs, "Everyone, look."

The group turns to see her gingerly lifting a long strand of blue hair from the offending branch and holds it up to the dappled light shining through the trees. "Juvia's hair!" Happy exclaims, clapping his paws over his mouth when Natsu places a hand on his head and shushes him. "Oops. I mean, Juvia's hair!" the Exceed repeats in a stage whisper.

Gray rolls his eyes at the cat and squints up ahead, searching. His eyes widen when he sees another few strands of blue caught on another branch a few feet ahead. He approaches and carefully plucks them away from the tree, spreading his fingers open and looking down at the wispy curls nestled in his palm. "She left another trail for us," he says quietly, completely unaware of the compassionate looks that everyone sends at him; his voice is so utterly affected by his realization. "In case the first one didn't work, she left a physical trail."

"Never underestimate Juvia," Lucy says. Gray blinks at her, startled by the words.

He swallows hard and whispers, "Yeah." Everyone is silent for a few moments before Gray shakes his head and continues onward, eyes scanning the foliage for the next flash of blue. "Keep your eyes peeled," he orders, and the others softly murmur in assent.

They trek deeper into the forest for a while, grabbing each other's attention every time they see a lock of Juvia's hair. There are even a few times when Natsu sniffs in surprise and indicates that a branch or tree has the smallest hint of Juvia's blood on it where it must have cut her on her journey into the forest. Every time this happens, Gray gets increasingly worried. _'Is she hurt badly?' _he wonders, trying to ignore the way that such a thought makes his throat feel like closing up.

"I know this path," Lyon suddenly speaks up, surprising everyone. "I think we're headed towards the ruins of the guild that was around these parts before Lamia Scale was founded."

"I thought you said you already searched the area," Gray says, unable to keep the accusing tone out of his voice.

Lyon jabs him in the side with his elbow and replies, "We did. It was one of the first places we looked for Jura, but… it's possible that they may have come back after we stopped."

"You think so?"

Lyon shrugs and points up ahead; there is an opening through the trees. "The clearing where the ruins are is just through there. I guess we'll find out."

* * *

Ilma watches, trying not to be afraid as Ash delivers a punishing blow to Juvia's face, causing her to fall back and crack her head against the stone walls. The girl slumps to the floor before Ash throws her over his shoulder and takes her to the Lacrima in the northwest corner of the room. "Ash, maybe you shouldn't have—"

"Shut up," he growls at her, snapping off the Lacrima-lined manacles but keeping Juvia's wrists behind her, offering her up to the crystal; they sink in easily, and he leaves her there, suspended.

Ilma trembles at the sight, horrified at the sharp angle at which Juvia's arms are pulled behind her back. She hears Juvia groan and try to struggle, only succeeding in increasing her own pain. Ilma tries to speak again. "…Ash? Listen, I—"

Her words are abruptly cut off when Ash storms up to her and closes an unforgiving hand around her throat. "I said, _shut up_," he snarls. "You're done putting Jura in his Lacrima, now shut your fucking mouth and do your part, do you understand me? It's time to create the Ultimate Mage. Go," he finishes, shoving her towards her own Lacrima before turning and walking over to his in the southwest corner. He reaches out a hand and lets it sink in.

Ilma watches him, struggling not to cry. And then she turns to look at Juvia.

The girl's arms have been sucked in up to her wrist, and sweat is beginning to bead on her forehead as her mouth hangs open, panting. The Lacrima that they are using to accomplish the Creation Magic has been primed perfectly, designed to rapidly absorb the magic of whoever is placed in it before the body begins to break down. The magic drain takes ten minutes, at the most. Ash had bragged proudly about being able to prepare such wonderful containers for their bodies. Perfect, he had said. Absolutely perfect.

The girl is staring at her, she realizes. Deep blue eyes pleading.

_"Juvia loves Gray-sama enough to die for him, but Juvia wants to live by his side far more."_

The words flutter to the forefront of her mind, and Ilma harshly bites her lip, feeling the tears burning in her eyes. _'To live by his side… I know how that feels.' _She turns and looks at Ash, his attention wholly on the Lacrima that is draining him dry. An image in her mind superimposes itself over the one in front of her—an image of a kind, young boy with flaming-red hair, smiling and spinning in circles with her. She imagines that she can feel the cool breezes blowing through the fields. _'I want to live by his side!'_

Releasing a desperate sob, Ilma reaches her hand towards her Lacrima and contracts her fingers, skyrocketing the air pressure around the crystal and destroying it completely.

* * *

**GOIN' OFF THE RAILS ON A CRAZY TRAIN~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Welcome to the roller coaster of emotion; this was written with tears, 'Over the Love' by Florence and the Machine, and 'Dirty Paws' by Of Monsters and Men. Please keep your arms inside the ride at all times and I'm not liable for anyone drowning in feels GOOD LUCK YO.**

* * *

Juvia's eyes snap wide open, and she immediately assesses what she can do. She tries to ignore the searing pain in her shoulders due to her arms being pinned back and instead focuses on the Lacrima holding her. She can barely move her fingers as it draws her in, but she thinks that if she puts all of her physical energy into it, she can free one of her hands; however, in order to prevent her other arm from snapping when she does, she'll have to brace a leg in the crystal so she isn't dangling above the ground. Then, maybe, she'll be able to free the other arm and break the Lacrima with a spell. But the magical drain of the crystal is harsh and quick; she can _feel_ her Magic being sucked away. Her head is swimming, but she knows that Jura is to her left, his own Lacrima having absorbed half of his legs and arms; she doesn't know how long she has, but it must only be minutes.

She is just about to try to wrench an arm free when Ash lets out a nearly inhuman roar of rage and sweeps his free hand towards Ilma; the wall of flame blocking the doorway twists and blazes outward, catching the corner of the woman's cloak and igniting her completely.

_"NO!" _Juvia shrieks, planting both feet back into the crystal and ripping her right arm free; she hears the crack as some of the Lacrima breaks off from the force of her pull, but she also feels it suck her deeper, submerging her entire left arm and both legs. She doesn't care. "_Water Lock! WATER LOCK!" _she cries, creating two spheres of liquid—one around Ilma and the other around Ash. Sobbing, she dispels the one around Ilma and watches her charred body collapse.

She swings her head to look at Ash, clawing at the liquid sphere, mouth open and sucking in water. Juvia is enraged, and the water begins to boil, causing his skin to redden and peel. His scream is a gurgle as his eyes bulge grotesquely. She can do it, she realizes. She can let him drown, cruelly, as retribution for what he has done to Ilma. She can do it.

_'Fairy Tail doesn't kill!' _her mind shouts at her, and she snaps out of her furious daze with an anguished sob, dispelling the Water Lock with a jerky swipe of her hand. Ash slumps down into his Lacrima, unconscious.

Almost immediately, Juvia realizes her mistake. She's expended too much magical energy, the Lacrima eagerly drawing it from her when she cast her spells; she is almost running on empty. Her vision growing dim, she shifts to look at Jura. She knows that she has two choices: she can break Jura's crystal, or her own.

Gray's face flashes by in her mind, and she makes her decision. A deafening crack of thunder splits the air, shaking the underground cavern, and Juvia hears the sound of rain pattering above ground as she stretches out her hand and groans, "Water Slicer!"

Using up the last of her power, she fires the watery scythes towards Jura's crystal, neatly slicing it up and freeing him from the Lacrima. She sobs weakly, feeling her own inexorably draw her in. Her stomach, her chest, her neck, her head all drawn back behind the eerie blue substance that is now inescapable. The pull slows, and Juvia struggles to stretch her free arm towards the still-burning door.

_'Juvia won't regret this,' _she tells herself, feeling the darkness coming to take her. _'Juvia won't regret choosing someone else's life over her own. Juvia is a proud Fairy Tail mage. Juvia is happy to have been a part of that. Juvia has no regrets.'_

There is a final flash of brightness in her mind; a boy with fierce dark eyes and a scar on his brow, peeking through messy, black hair. Unexpected kindness. A tired smile, and sunlight.

_'Juvia has no regrets.'_

* * *

The second that Gray hears the thunder, he knows that something has happened. His heart stops briefly and then resumes at triple speed, and the entire group rushes forward, charging towards the ruins as the rain begins to fall.

"It's only rubble!" Lucy shouts over the storm.

"No, it's not!" Lyon calls, waving them forward as he runs toward the stone frame of the ancient guild. "There might be a hidden passage somewhere, maybe even leading underground! Guilds have secret rooms all the time! Look for anything out of place!"

"You guys!" Happy shouts, flying towards a curtain of vines trailing down a stone wall. He pulls them back and calls again, "You guys, there's a hole behind these vines!"

Gray rushes forward, pushing through and stumbling into a dark room. "Natsu!" he shouts, and the Fire Dragon Slayer stumbles through the hole and conjures a flame in his palm, illuminating the little space. Gray looks down at their feet and sees the rotting trap door. "Everyone, in here!" he shouts, wrenching it open and descending down the stone steps two at a time.

_'Damn it, Juvia, be okay!' _

He stumbles and falls when he reaches the bottom; behind him, he hears his friends calling after him, shouting that he shouldn't be so rash, that he should be careful, but how can he be careful when there is a raging thunderstorm above that can only be Juvia's cry for help? He pushes himself off the ground and barrels forward, arms outstretched in the darkness until they slam into a stone barrier that is burning to the touch. He snatches his hand back and swears.

The group comes up behind him, led by Natsu and his flame that lights up the tunnel; it's a giant stone door, Gray realizes, and if it's hot to the touch, he knows that Juvia and the others must be sealed behind it by Ash and his magic. He bares his teeth in a furious snarl and hisses, "Everybody get back."

"Gray—"

_"Get back!" _he roars, smacking his fist into his palm. _"Ice-Make: Ice Impact!" _His magic swirls in the air, and as he swings his arms back, a massive, spiked hammer of ice materializes; Gray cries out and sends it flying forward, slamming it into the door in a massive explosion of sound, stone, and frozen shards. His magic spirals out of control, and he can hear the crackling of ice as it spreads from where he stands and freezes whatever is beyond the door. The smoke begins to clear and the group rushes through.

They all exclaim in horror when the smell of burning flesh greets them, and then again when they clearly see the dimly-lit room. The rest of them scatter, Lyon to Jura, Lucy and Erza to Ilma's body, and Natsu to Ash's body in his crystal, but Gray's horrified gaze rests solely on Juvia, totally submerged in glowing Lacrima save for her outstretched hand.

"Juvia!"

"Gray, don't touch the crystal!" Erza shouts.

Gray races forward and seizes the dainty little hand in his rough one; it is cold. "Dammit, Juvia," he says, not even caring that his voice comes out in a terrified whine. Inside the Lacrima, she is still, her face serene and eyes closed. He plants his feet on the ground and tugs with all his might, but she doesn't budge. "Damn it! Juvia, come on!" he bellows, like a wounded animal. "Come on, come on…"

"Gray—"

"Shut up!" He roars, still pulling on her hand. "Don't fucking talk unless you can get her out of there!" He hears silence behind him. Defeated silence from everyone but him. He screams and huffs and strains, but he can't break her free from her crystal prison. "Damn it, Juvia…" he mutters, voice breaking and eyes wet. "How could you be so stupid? How could you be so fucking _stupid_?" he whispers miserably, unsure if he is talking to her or himself. He slumps to his knees, still not releasing her hand.

Her skin is so cold. He shuts his eyes, little beads of wetness slipping from underneath his lashes and down his cheeks. Unable to control it, he lets his magic reach out and curl into the space between where their palms touch, feeling slick ice crystals form. He pushes the energy from his skin to hers, needing her to take his magic into her hands so her touch doesn't feel so empty anymore. Behind him, he hears someone sniffle, someone else begin to sob, someone else slam a fist into the wall, growl in frustration, try to draw in a breath that isn't choked.

He feels Juvia's fingers close over his own, and suddenly there is a rush of sensation as his magic tunnels through his veins, up his arm, wrist, and then from his palm to hers; an ear-splitting crack rents the miserable air and the Lacrima shatters. He looks up.

Juvia's body has frozen, shards of ice spiking out from her skin as the pieces of Lacrima falls around them. There is a ripple of magic in the air, and the ice recedes back into her as she tumbles down into Gray's arms.

He can't breathe. Gingerly, he hooks his arms around her back and shifts her up so he can press an ear to her chest, his own heart seized with painful hope that he will be able to hear hers.

Silence.

One beat.

And then another, and her chest expands with a shuddering breath at the same time that Gray feels like his will cave in with a harshly expelled sob of relief. He pulls back and looks into half-lidded, deep blue eyes. "Juvia…"

She smiles, slow and sweet. "Gray."

A welcome desperation that he has never felt before fills him, and he tangles his fingers in her hair and pulls her to him, crushing his mouth to hers in a hard, bruising kiss. He swallows her happy sigh and tastes the salt of tears and the sweetness of her, and he doesn't give a _fuck _if they're being watched because he'll be damned if he ever goes another day of his life without knowing what it's like to kiss this insane, insufferable, incredible woman.

Eventually, they part and lock eyes, his hands in her hair and hers on his chest. His mouth suddenly feels very dry. He feels like he should say something. "…I—" he barely manages to croak before Juvia surprises him by placing her fingers against his lips to silence him. She breathes shakily and leans forward, curling against his body and resting her head in the crook of his neck. He swallows hard and whispers, "Don't ever do that again."

Her reply is a smile against his skin.

"I mean it," he says, wrapping his arm around her back and cradling her to him in a pose that is familiar; vaguely, he recalls holding her in the same position when he'd rescued her on Tenrou Island all those years ago. "Don't go off on your own like that, ever. Stay by my side. You love me? You want to keep me safe? Then stay with me."

She hums in agreement and closes her eyes. "Juvia will always be by your side," she murmurs just before she drops off into unconsciousness, peaceful in his arms.

* * *

**The next chapter might be the last? I dunno, I haven't written it yet. Ahaha. ALSO DID YOU SPOT THE GIANT SNK REFERENCE. Cause yeah.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm crying. You're all absolutely wonderful for reading this, and I'm crying because I'm eternally grateful that you did. This final chapter was brought to you by several happy tears and 'Cosmic Love' by Florence and the Machine. I love you guys.**

* * *

"I wonder how they did it," Lucy says later that night. The group, minus Gray and Juvia, sits at a table in the nearly-empty mess hall of Lamia Scale.

"Hm?" Natsu murmurs sleepily, his head pillowed on his arms. The frantic rush of the day's events is fading, leaving everyone feeling more than a little drained.

"Juvia and Gray," she clarifies, propping up her chin on one hand. "Shattering the Lacrima; I thought it had sealed her in. How did it happen?"

"I've been wondering the same thing," Erza says. Happy flies up and circles the table.

"That's easy," the little cat pipes up. "Because they _like _each other!"

Natsu snorts and catches him by the tail, pulling him back down and quieting him with a pat on the head. "I actually think I know what happened."

"Really?"

Natsu frowns thoughtfully and nods, saying, "Well, I could be wrong, but it kind of seems to me like what happened when I ate Laxus' lightning forever ago; you remember that? It was like a giant power-up to my own magic."

"I see… Even though the Lacrima was draining her magic," Erza adds, "Juvia's body must have accepted Gray's magic and just… defended itself."

"Their magics _are_ very compatible," Lyon muses. "Ice comes from water, after all. It doesn't surprise me that Juvia would be able to handle that power."

"That's amazing," Lucy breathes. She thinks back to the morning, standing to the side and mournfully watching as Gray had knelt at the base of the Lacrima with Juvia trapped inside. She had seen the magic spinning over their intertwined hands, ice forming in the spaces in between. And then she'd watched, utterly awed, as the chill that had settled in the air seemed to get sucked right to that corner of the room; there had been movement inside the crystal and a giant fracture had split its surface before the entire thing had blown apart.

_'How powerful,' _she thinks with a smile. _'Mom was definitely right. The source of magic is love.'_

"What're you grinning about?" Erza asks, but she has a knowing expression on her face.

Lucy laughs and replies, "Oh, nothing. I'm just really happy that everyone is okay." Her eyes dim a bit, and then she frowns. "Well… almost everyone, really. Even though Ash and Ilma were trying to do a terrible thing… I'm still not sure that they deserved to end up the way that they did."

Lyon's gaze hardens. "Ash couldn't be saved; he was already in the process of being broken down by the Lacrima. As for Ilma…"

They all look a bit disturbed, remembering the burned body of the woman lying next to the crushed remnants of a Lacrima.

"Her body's being taken to the Council, isn't it?" Natsu asks.

"Yes, they'll be able to find out more about who she really is by searching through records of mages throughout Fiore. If she has any family, her body will probably be sent to them. If not, she'll probably just be buried in her home town."

"I wonder what went wrong, that she ended up the way she did… It was a horrible way to die," Lucy murmurs sadly.

"We won't know what really happened in the cavern until Juvia wakes up again. Even then, we should be careful about the questions we ask; she might be in shock, when the reality of everything hits."

"She's strong," Erza says with a fond smile. "She'll pull through."

"Especially if Gray's around," Happy snickers, and they all exchange amused glances.

Lyon stands up and stretches with a tired groan. He turns to Team Natsu and says, "Lamia Scale is very grateful for Fairy Tail's help. We owe you guys a lot."

Natsu grins and shakes his head, holding out his hand. "Nah. In fact, consider us even from the time you helped out our guild after Tenrou Island disappeared."

Lyon smiles and accepts the proffered handshake with a grateful nod. "It's getting pretty late now. You all should rest here for the night, and then you can head out for Magnolia Town in the morning. I have a feeling that I already know the answer, but I'll head up to the infirmary to find Gray and ask if he'll be staying here until Juvia is ready to go home."

The group bids Lyon goodnight and leaves for the resting room while Lyon makes his way up to the second floor. He heads down the long hall that leads to the guild's infirmary and quietly pushes the door open. He pauses at the threshold and leans a hip against the doorframe, crossing his arms and smirking at the sight before him. "Really, Gray? At least put on a shirt, you pervert."

Gray twitches awake and nearly slips off the edge of Juvia's bed; he is sitting up with his back pressed against the headboard, Juvia laying at his side. He blearily blinks down at her and makes sure that she is still fast asleep before scowling at Lyon and giving him the finger. "Fuck off," he mouths, but his cheeks are beginning to flush in embarrassment.

Lyon is growing increasingly amused. "You just gonna sit there all night?"

"Probably," is the matter-of-fact reply, and the silver-haired mage raises his brows in surprise.

"Oh? Such a blunt response; you're not so emotionally stunted anymore, are you?"

"…Get out."

"Ah. Maybe I spoke too soon," Lyon chuckles, shaking his head. He glances over at the other side of the room where Jura is resting in another one of the beds. "Neither of them have woken up?" he asks. Gray shakes his head and stares down at Juvia. Lyon sighs and says reassuringly, "She's going to be fine, you know."

"Of course I know," Gray snaps, but his tone is not entirely convincing. "… I just don't like how close things were. The last thing I want is… for someone else to die because of me."

Lyon frowns and steps into the room, moving to sit down on the bed across from the pair. He looks uncomfortable for a moment and begins, "Earlier today… You know, I didn't mean to be so—"

"Don't." Gray cuts him off, not meeting his eyes. "I'm not a child; you don't have to try to spare my feelings or anything stupid like that. You meant what you said. You were right, too."

There is a pause, and then Lyon says, "Ah, I'm sorry, I wasn't prepared for that. Could you please repeat what you just said?"

A small smirk tugs at the corner of Gray's lips. "I said, 'You're a jackass.'"

"No, I don't quite think that was it. One more time."

"_Leave_."

Lyon snorts in amusement and makes a mental note to give him another good punch when there's no risk of disturbing anyone's rest. There is an easy silence for a few moments, and takes the time to unabashedly observe Gray, understanding that what he's seeing now is a rare thing indeed.

He isn't even touching her, but Gray exudes an air of quiet protectiveness that nearly borders on aggression as he watches Juvia sleep. He probably doesn't even realize that he'd curled towards her—as though he'd meant to shield her—when Lyon had entered the room to sit down. And even through their conversation, his eyes had been fixed almost entirely on her.

Lyon has to struggle to suppress a wave of almost painful nostalgia when he realizes how much Gray looks like Ur right now, utterly determined not to let anything harm the person that is precious to him. His spirit is undoubtedly something that he's inherited from her.

"What?" Gray asks, startling Lyon. "Why're you looking at me like that?"

Lyon smiles and says, "Nothing. Just… You're a lot like Ur, you know? The way you save people. You saved Juvia. Hell, even me." He looks up thoughtfully. "I don't think I ever thanked you for that, by the way."

Gray is horrified to realize that he is blushing and can't think of anything to say in response. He growls and looks away, trying to hide his flustered expression.

Lyon laughs at his discomfort and says, "Unfortunately, you still act like a kid." As fun as embarrassing Gray is, he decides to have mercy on him and changes the subject. "Your friends are going to head back to Fairy Tail in the morning; I take it you plan on staying here until Juvia's ready to travel again?"

Gray stares at him like he's an idiot for even asking, and Lyon can't quite stop his eye from twitching in irritation. "Don't look at me like that, you dumb brat. I had to ask anyway." He shakes his head then, amused, and stands up. "I get you're worried about her, but she's not going anywhere, so don't spend the entire night staring at her and try to get some sleep," he orders, reaching out to ruffle Gray's hair; he can't stop a smile from tugging at the corners of his lips when Gray doesn't even protest, but merely huffs and scowls at him until he leaves the room.

* * *

Gray is startled awake in the middle of the night by feeling someone shaking his arm. He blinks rapidly, trying to adjust his eyesight to the darkness, and glances down to see Juvia staring up at him. He opens his mouth to say something—to say _what_, he isn't exactly sure—but she speaks before he can.

"Ilma," she whispers, eyes wide and haunted. "…Where is Ilma?"

He freezes and tries to figure out how to tell her, but his expression succeeds where words fail, and he is stunned when her face crumples and she begins to cry. "Juvia… what—"

"She loved him," Juvia whimpers, placing her fists against her eyes as the tears slide down her cheeks. "Ilma. She loved Ash, and she just wanted… to be with him. She destroyed her own Lacrima," she sobs, and Gray's eyes widen in shock. "She didn't want to die with him, she didn't want to die…"

He swallows hard past the lump in his throat; he certainly hadn't predicted that. Briefly, he feels a hot stab of anger rush through him—anger at Ash for being such a monster. But he reminds himself that, no matter how terrible they were in life, it isn't wise to think ill of the dead; Ash is gone, he can't hurt anyone else, and that will have to be enough. Instead, he turns his focus to Juvia once more, and he feels his heart squeeze at the sight of her so devastated. His mouth in a firm line, he carefully slides his arm under her back and lifts her up, pushing her head to rest against his shoulder.

"Don't look like that," he murmurs, tangling his fingers in her hair. She tries to blubber an apology but only succeeds in sobbing harder, clinging to him. It makes him uncomfortable because crying women are terrifying, but he presses his lips to the crown of her head and lets her cry, feeling both guilty and not for being glad that it was Ilma instead of Juvia.

"All you can do," he says later when her sobs settle down to uneven, shuddering breaths, "is live for her sake. If she was willing to try to stop Ash, that's probably what she would have wanted you to do, don't you think?"

Juvia sniffles and nods. _'Yes… Ilma only wanted to be happy, and to live beside the person she loves.' _She glances up at Gray through tear-soaked lashes; curled against him as she is, his heartbeat is loud in her ears. _'Because of Ilma, Juvia has the chance to live the same dream. Juvia won't waste it.'_

* * *

The next morning, Team Natsu minus Gray departs from Lamia Scale after several warm farewell hugs and one promise from Natsu to tell the entire guild everything that happened—_"Everything," _he snickers, waggling his eyebrows at Juvia and Gray before Erza smacks him across the head and Lucy drags him away by the ear. Gray scowls at his retreating figure and steers a blushing Juvia back into Lamia Scale's guild.

The day is mostly spent tying up loose ends. Jura wakes up around midday and Ooba questions him on what happened. Lyon listens to Juvia's account, and she manages to get through explaining the entire ordeal down in the underground room without completely breaking down. Once she is finished, she surprises everyone by asking what happened to Ash.

"The Lacrima broke down his body," Lyon tells her. "Ooba's actually contacted the Council about it, and they're probably going to send some Rune Knights to the forest to destroy it and seal up the cavern permanently."

Juvia shakes her head and says, "No. Please, Lyon-sama… Tell them to keep a piece of it. Bury it with Ilma. She… She would want that."

Gray and Lyon blink at her in surprise, but Lyon agrees to send a message to the Council. Juvia is told that she should spend the day resting so she'll regain all of her magic power, but later in the afternoon, she approaches Gray and asks him to take her to the sea.

And so they sit on the pier, feet dangling over the edge and into the water. Gray watches Juvia smile and wiggle her toes as she looks up at the fading sun.

"Juvia feels better when she is by the ocean," she murmurs, feeling the water and its magic ripple over her skin. "Juvia didn't think she would get to see it again," she adds. She looks over at Gray and sees him frowning at her; she smiles sheepishly and apologizes.

Gray rolls his eyes at her and shakes his head. "S'alright," he mumbles, turning to look down into the water. Every time he's by the sea, he can't help but feel a little bit melancholy, and thinking of how he'd nearly lost Juvia doesn't help. His attention is drawn from morose thoughts to her, however, when he realizes that the waves swell towards her more than they do at any other point. He smirks. "How does that work, anyway?"

She gives him a confused look. "How does what work?"

"Your magic," he clarifies. "I mean, I know _how _it works, but—" He gestures to the water rising beneath her. "—_that_. How does that happen?"

Juvia smiles at the sea and drops in, splashing Gray as she does so. He splutters and glares at her, clothes sopping wet and hair plastered to his face. She giggles at him and waves for him to join her; he sighs and creates an ice floe that is just big enough for him to slide onto, crossing his legs as he sits. Juvia shoots him a look that falls just short of exasperation. She tips onto her back, spread-eagled, and lets her magic merge with the ocean.

"Ilma told Juvia that she was an Element Master," she tells him, feeling the last few rays of the sun warming her body. High in the sky, the first deep blues of twilight begin to spread over them, and she closes her eyes, peaceful. "Juvia doesn't really like that phrase, but... Ilma said that Element Masters are a select few mages who were born to have complete control over the element that their magic is based in. They are supposed to be so in-tune with their element that it's possible to _become_ it. Juvia is apparently like this," she declares, holding up a watery arm.

"Element Master, huh? Maybe you're the one who should be called '-sama,'" he jokes, just to see her blush. He smirks at her and she huffs at his teasing expression.

"Juvia has never really thought of why the water is so kind to her, but now she at least has some kind of clue. Juvia thinks that maybe she would like to learn a little bit more about the magic. About who she is. It is strange to think that there is more to Juvia than being a rain woman," she confesses.

"The water's kind?" Gray repeats questioningly.

Juvia hums in the affirmative and says, "To Juvia, the sea is almost like… almost like a living thing. Sometimes, Juvia feels as though it calls to her, to say something to her. And it accepts the magic that Juvia puts into it so easily, and it gives back just as much. It feels like… like an old friend. Very warm and caring. Strong."

Gray feels his heart throb painfully in his chest. "Is it talking to you now?"

Juvia opens an eye to look at him and dissolves, sinking under the waves. He watches the space where her body was and can just barely manage to make out the color of that single open eye beneath the surface, its iris a deeper blue than the surrounding waters. He waits, and she eventually reforms and rises once more, paddling over and resting her arms on the slick surface of the ice. She beams at him and answers, "Happy. It's saying it's happy."

The waves still, and Gray tries to swallow past the lump in his throat. Without a word, he hauls Juvia up onto the floe and turns her in his arms, her back to his front. He rests his chin on the top of her head and thinks, _'It's easy to touch her now.' _Hesitantly, she reaches for his hand, and he snorts and laces their fingers together tightly. Once again, he feels magic swirl in the spaces between their palms, and he blinks down at her in surprise when he feels her skin harden and cool. He takes her wrist and holds up her icy hand.

"That's crazy," he whispers, but his heart feels like it's about to burst, the physical manifestation of his magic transferring to her doing something wild to his emotions. Juvia smiles adoringly at him, and he struggles to hold himself still when she cranes her neck up and places the sweetest of kisses against his chin. He feels his blood thrum hot in his veins, and Gray can't deny how much he enjoys the way that her surprised squeal melts into a soft sigh when he tilts his head and presses his lips to hers, tongue tracing the soft skin.

They part eventually, and Juvia whispers, "I love you, Gray."

He smiles and touches his forehead to hers.

They float together until the sky grows dark.

* * *

**I AM SO MUCH MORE EMOTIONAL THAN I HAVE EVER BEEN. I CAN'T SEE MY KEYBOARD. Haugh. Well, that's it for this story. It just feels right to leave it there. I might do a couple of outtakes, though. There are a few things that wouldn't fit in this final chapter, but could make nice (funny/sweet/etc) oneshots. So, be on the lookout?**

**I am so grateful to everyone who read this; as I said before, you're all wonderful. Just absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much for reading!**


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